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The concentration of sodium ions can cause severe imbalances (high pressure on blood vessels, swelling of the muscular tissues, and misfunctioning of the whole nervous system) to the human body when its limits are uncontrolled. Thus, it is necessary to determine the amount of sodium ions present in the blood. Electrochemical sensing is an efficient methodology for detecting lower concentrations of ions even with fewer samples. Calixarenes are one of the supramolecules with a distinctive structure that has a predominant ability to complex with alkali metals. Thus, calixarenes are widely used in the detection of sodium (Na + ) ions. Herein, 4- tert -butylcalix[4]arene, the simplest and cheapest calixarene, is used to deduce sodium ion concentration by electrochemical sensing approach. The sensitivity of the 4- tert -butylcalix[4]arene/GCE was 0.35269 μA M -1 and the limit of detection was 0.1 ± 0.06 μM, the lowest range of detection reported for sodium ions through differential pulse voltammetry, which is an accurate analysis. This is because calixarenes can interact with sodium ions efficiently through the hydrophilic OH groups at the lower rim of the calixarene structure. The interaction of Na + ions with phenolic OH was confirmed by proton NMR titration against NaOH. 4- tert -Butylcalix[4]arene/GCE is adequately selective against various interfering metal ions, and it can also detect sodium ions with high accuracy (recovery range = 99.25-100.01%) in bovine serums.

A 52-year-old man with a 5-year history of diabetes mellitus and chronic renal disease presented with sudden onset left upper limb weakness and numbness at 5 pm, which progressed to quadriplegia by the next day at 2:30 am. He had dysarthria at admission. There were no sensory symptoms in the lower limbs. There were no bladder symptoms. Examination showed bilateral tongue weakness and quadriplegia, with the left side more affected than the right. Reflexes were sluggish bilaterally. Plantars were extensor bilaterally. The sensory system was normal in all four limbs, including joint position sense and vibration. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed diffusion restriction in the bilateral medial medulla simulating a heart sign, suggestive of a bilateral medial medullary infarct (Figs 1 and 2). MR angiography showed left vertebral artery stenosis. He was treated as per stroke protocol and made partial recovery at follow-up., (© Journal of The Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Objective: Patients with ovarian cancer (OC) may develop anti-Yo-associated paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD)-a cerebellar ataxia associated with tumor-induced autoimmunity against CDR2 and CDR2L proteins. Dysregulation of circulating exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) occur in OC. Here, we investigated whether PCD is associated with changes in the exosomal miRNA profiles of OC patients., Methods: Serum exosomes were isolated from patients with OC (n = 15), patients with OC and anti-Yo-associated PCD (n = 14) and healthy controls (HC, n = 15). Small RNA sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate biomarker sensitivity and specificity, and miRNA target prediction analysis was employed to elucidate gene targets., Results: OC patients with PCD exhibited a distinct exosomal miRNA expression profile. We detected 103 differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs in PCD patients compared to OC patients without PCD and 139 differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs compared to controls. Particularly miR-486-5p, miR-4732-5p, miR-98-5p and miR-21-5p exhibited notable sensitivity and specificity for discriminating PCD patients from both OC patients without PCD and healthy controls. miRNA target prediction showed that several of the differentially expressed miRNAs in PCD patients targeted the CDR2 and CDR2L genes., Interpretation: Our results demonstrate that OC patients with anti-Yo-associated PCD exhibit a distinct exosomal miRNA profile compared to OC patients without PCD. Several of the differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs in PCD patients showed diagnostic potential and may hold relevance for understanding the pathogenesis of PCD., (© 2024 The Author(s). Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

Among the perovskite oxide community, La-based perovskites have garnered considerable interest due to their remarkable properties including catalytic, electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, sensing, electrical, magnetic, and optical characteristics. Herein, rhodamine-B (RB) dye has been reported to be sono-catalytically decomposed by an ultrasound-assisted advanced oxidation process (AOP) using perovskite-type LaMnO 3 (LMO) nanospheres synthesized via ultrasonic approach. Several physiochemical characterizations such as XRD, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, TEM, and SEM-EDS investigations were used to investigate the LMO perovskite nanospheres. Then, LMO potential for adsorption and the sonocatalytic decolorization of RB dye in an aqueous solution are examined. With LMO perovskites, the adsorption and removal kinetics of RB correspond to the pseudo-first-order model. Furthermore, by utilizing the pseudo-first-order, the RB dye process is removed with improved efficacy in the following sequence: Agitation alone: 3.76×10 -4  min -1 -3  min -1 -3  min -1 -2  min -1 -2  min -1 , accordingly. Perovskite-type LMO, which has significant reusability and stability, is an ensuring sonocatalyst for dye decomposition in wastewater, enabling faster decolorization. A prospective mechanism has been suggested for the sonocatalytic decomposition of RB., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Majority of the eclampsia or preeclampsia occur between 20 weeks of gestation and within 48 hours postpartum. Postpartum eclampsia usually occurs on a background of preeclampsia. Late postpartum eclampsia (LPE) without preeclampsia is a rarity. LPE with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and mild hypertension is extremely rare. We report a case of LPE with PRES without preeclampsia, at a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg. Seizures occurring late postpartum period could be due to LPE and this can occur even with mild hypertension., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Purpose: Tooth eruption is a dynamic process. Appearance of any part of the cusp through gingiva may be a clinical marker of eruption. Early childhood caries (ECC) is a public health problem globally. This study aimed to assess the relationship between parent-reported timing of first tooth emergence and ECC in toddlers., Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of 627 toddlers involved in a case-control study on sleep-time feeding practises in children. The children were categorised into four groups based on the parent-reported timing of first primary tooth emergence (G1-when the first primary tooth emerged before 6 months of age, G2-between 7 and 9 months; G3-10 to 12 months and G4-when the first primary tooth emerged after 12 months of age). Univariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between timing of first tooth emergence and ECC., Results: The mean age of the children was 24.4 ± 7.3 months (cases, that is children with ECC-25.4 ± 6.9 months, controls, that is children without ECC-23.6 ± 7.5 months). Of 60 children, whose first tooth erupted before 6 months of age, 35 (12%) were cases compared to 25(8%) controls. Amongst the cases, boys had more caries than girls (p < 0.05). Of the anterior teeth, 22% of the emerged teeth were decayed in the first group, followed by 19%, 16% and 10% in the second, third and fourth groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Analysis of the posterior teeth showed a lower percentage of decayed teeth with delayed emergence of the first primary tooth (p < 0.05). Children whose teeth emerged before 6 months of age had an odds ratio of 3.5 (95% CI 1.49, 8.42) (p = 0.004)., Conclusion: This study concluded that the early emergence of the first primary tooth, as reported by the parent, was associated with an increased risk of developing ECC., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry.)

Pantoprazole is an extensively used proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for acid peptic disease. PPI rarely cause hypomagnesemia. Hypomagnesemia is commonly associated with hypokalemia and hypocalcemia. Severe hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia can cause seizures. Here, we report a patient on long-term pantoprazole who presented with generalized tonic-clonic seizures and had severe hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and secondary hyperparathyroidism. When patients on long-term PPI present with seizures, hypomagnesemia/hypocalcemia has to be excluded., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor that leaches into food and is significantly employed in food and beverage storage, and source water cycles. To ensure an outstanding and sustainable biosphere while safeguarding human health and well-being, BPA detection is essential, necessitating an efficient detection methodology. Here, we describe an easy-to-use, inexpensive, and overly sensitive electrochemical detector that uses Fe-MOF nanotextures for identifying BPA in groundwater. This sensing electrode device combines the excellent guest interaction potential of organic ligands with the substantial surface area of metal. Using various analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), the structural and physicochemical behaviors of the as-synthesized material were evaluated. Electrochemical BPA detection was enabled by a diffusion-controlled oxidation procedure with a comparable number of both protons and electrons. With a 0.1 μM detection limit, the sensor displayed a linear sensitivity of around 0.1 μM and 15 μM. Additionally, the sensors demonstrated an outstanding recovery with actual water samples as well as a repeatable and steady performance over the course of a month exhibiting minimal interference from typical inorganic and organic species. Due to its notable sensitivity, inexpensive cost, robust selectivity, excellent repeatability, and reuse ability, the electroanalytical possibilities of the Fe-MOF-modified GCE suggest that the device can be implemented into real-world applications in its primed condition.

Background: Data on non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholera (NOVC) infection in liver disease is limited. We studied the clinical features and outcome of patients with cirrhosis with non-NOVC bacteraemia and/or spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) when compared to non-extended spectrum beta lactamase (non-ESBL) Escherichia coli ( E. coli )., Methods: Hospital information system of patients with cirrhosis admitted with bacteraemia and/or SBP from 2010 to 2020 was searched to include patients with NOVC infection. Non-ESBL E. coli  bacteraemia/bacterascites were chosen as a comparator group, matched for the date of admission within 5 days of index case. Propensity score matching (PSM) was done for patient's age and Child score to compare outcome at discharge between NOVC-infected and E. coli -infected cirrhotic patients., Results: There were 2545 patients admitted with bacteraemia and/or SBP during the study period; 29 had NOVC isolated (M:F = 23:6; age: 39, 18-54 years; median, range; model for end-stage liver disease [MELD] score: 25, 12-38; Child score: 11, 10-12.5) from either blood (26), ascites (3), or both (8). Of these, 26 isolates were pan-sensitive to antibiotic sensitivity tests. Fifty-three patients with non-ESBL E. coli were isolated (M: F = 43:10; age: 48; 18-69 years; MELD score: 25, 20-32; Child score:12,11-13) from blood (31), ascites (17), or both (5) within the selected time frame. Of these, 48 isolates were sensitive to the empirical antibiotics initiated.After PSM, in comparison with 29 non-ESBL E. coli patients (age: 41, 18-55 years; MELD score: 24, 19-31; Child score: 12, 11-13), NOVC patients had higher incidence of circulatory failure at admission (14 [49 %] vs 4 [13 %]; P : 0.01) and significantly higher in-hospital mortality (15 [52 %] vs 6 [20 %]; P : 0.028]., Conclusions: Bacteraemia due to non-O1/non-O139 strains of V. cholera , is an uncommon cause of bacteraemia or bacterascites in patients with cirrhosis and is associated with high incidence of circulatory failure and significant mortality., (© 2024 Indian National Association for Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, causes coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19). Mostly, COVID-19 causes respiratory symptoms that can resemble those of a cold, the flu, or pneumonia. COVID-19 may harm more than just lungs and respiratory systems. It may also have an impact on other parts of the body and debilitating effects on humans, necessitating the development of vaccines at an unprecedented rate in order to protect humans from infections. In response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, mRNA, viral vector-based carrier and inactivated virus-based vaccines, as well as subunit vaccines, have recently been developed. We developed Relcovax®, a dual antigen (Receptor binding domain (RBD) and Nucleocapsid (N) proteins) subunit protein vaccine candidate. Preliminary mouse preclinical studies revealed that Relcovax® stimulates cell-mediated immunity and provides broader protection against two SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the delta strain. Before conducting human studies, detailed preclinical safety assessments are required, so Relcovax® was tested for safety, and immunogenicity in 28-day repeated dose toxicity studies in rats and rabbits. In the toxicity studies, there were no mortality or morbidity, abnormal clinical signs, abnormalities in a battery of neurobehavioral observations, abnormalities in detailed clinical and ophthalmological examinations, or changes in body weights or feed consumption. In any of the studies, no abnormal changes in organ weights, haematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis parameters, or pathological findings were observed. Immunogenicity tests on rats and rabbits revealed 100 % seroconversion. Relcovax® was therefore found to be safe in animals, with a No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of 20 µg/protein in rats and rabbits. In efficacy studies, Relcovax® immunised hamsters demonstrated dose-dependent protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a high dose (20 µg/protein) being the most protective, while in cynomolgus macaque monkey study, lowest dose 5 µg/protein had the highest efficacy. In conclusion, Relcovax® was found to be safe, immunogenic, and efficacious in in vivo studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [Venkata Ramana, Praveen Rao, Abhishek Phetarphekar, Gopala Karanam, Girish Masand, Ramnath Lakshmanan has patent #WO/2023/017536 issued to Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.]., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The construction of a new electrochemical sensing platform based on a copper metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) heterostructure is described in this paper. Drop-casting Cu-MOF suspension onto the electrode surface primed the sensor for glutathione detection. The composition and morphology of the Cu-MOF heterostructure were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The Cu-MOF heterostructure can identify glutathione (GSH) with an enhanced sensitivity of 0.0437 μA μM -1 at the detection limit (LOD; 0.1 ± 0.005 μM) and a large dynamic range of 0.1-20 μM. Boosting the conductivity and surface area enhances electron transport and promotes redox processes. The constructed sensors were also adequately selective against interference from other contaminants in a similar potential window. Furthermore, the Cu-MOF heterostructure has outstanding selectivity, long-term stability, and repeatability, and the given sensors have demonstrated their capacity to detect GSH with high accuracy (recovery range = 98.2-100.8%) in pharmaceutical samples.

Background: Nucleoside polyphosphate (NPP) anions are important for enzymatic activity and should be monitored by scientists in industry and medicine. By elucidating enzyme kinetics and processes, it aids in the discovery of effective inhibitors and activators. Nucleoside polyphosphate (NPP) anions are used by kinases, GTPases, and glycosyltransferases (GTs). Phosphorylation of certain amino acid residues (Ser, Thr, and Tyr) on proteins requires the breakdown of ATP by protein kinases, which produces ADP. Protein kinases, breakdown of ATP, and NPP are the focus of oncology drug development because the aberrant control of kinase activity is a common cause of cancer., Results: However, a discriminative turn-on fluorescent property is exhibited by non-fluorescent p-tertbutylcalix[4]arene modified 1,2,3-triazole containing bis-ruthenium polypyridyl complex (RL) upon the addition of phosphate anions such as (dihydrogen pyrophosphate (H 2 P 2 O 7 2- ) and dihydrogen phosphate (H 2 PO 4 - )) in CH 3 CN solvent and Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) in CH 3 CN/HEPES (pH = 7.4) buffer (9/1, v/v). The probe RL shows a better-recognizing ability with pyrophosphate anion (H 2 P 2 O 7 2- ) than dihydrogen phosphate anion (H 2 PO 4 - ). With H 2 P 2 O 7 2- and H 2 PO 4 - anions, the RL detection limit was calculated to be as low as 83 nM and 198 nM, respectively., Significance: The calix[4]arene macrocycle's excellent size and binding cone conformation make it a good host-guest interface for the pyrophosphate anion and ADP. The bis-ruthenium polypyridyl complex's connection to the p-tertbutyl calix[4]arene moiety creates the ADP selectivity turn-on sensor. When moving from mono-nuclear to bi-nuclear ruthenium complex anchored on p-tertbutyl calix[4]arene, the probe can differentiate ADP, ATP, and AMP. Furthermore, this platform is a great resource for creating devices to simultaneously assess phosphate anions in environmental samples., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: A woman in her forties developed intermittent pain in her ear and pharynx which worsened when talking and swallowing. Multidisciplinary approach confirmed a rare diagnosis., Case Presentation: The patient reported left-sided ear fullness, followed by otalgia and burning pain in the palate. Numbness in the palate and nasal cavity, and soreness upon palpation of the external ear canal were noted upon examination. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast showed a vessel located in close proximity to the glossopharyngeal nerve on the left side. A diagnosis of glossopharyngeal neuralgia was made, and the patient was treated with antiepileptic medications without substantial effect. Microvascular decompression of the glossopharyngeal nerve was therefore performed. A large vein located along the glossopharyngeal nerve was separated and fixated away from the nerve. The patient reported pain alleviation after the operation, which has continued to improve on follow-ups., Interpretation: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a rare condition characterised by intermittent, unilateral pain in the base of the tongue, oropharynx, and/or angle of the mandible which radiates to the ipsilateral ear. The condition should be treated medically, but open surgical treatment should be considered in refractory cases. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential.

We found the article on "The Digital Technology in Clinical Medicine: From Calculators to ChatGPT" interesting. 1 According to Kulkarni et al., humanity has witnesses four important social system changes, starting with the primitive huntersgatherers and progressing to horticultural, agricultural, industrial, and the current fifth, which is based on digital information technology and has altered the way we present, recognize, and utilize different factors of production. In clinical medicine, digital technology has advanced significantly since the days of computations. According to Kulkarni et al., we have to benefit from these advancements as we all improve the lives of our patients while being cautious not to overturn the doctor-patient relationship. If technology, clinical expertise, and humanistic values are properly balanced, Kulkarni et al. concluded that the future is quite glorious. 1 Regulatory organizations are pushing for improvements through clinical trials as a result of recognition of the expanding influence of digital technology in healthcare delivery. The "World Health Organizations Guidelines for Digital Interventions" and the "Food and Drug Administration's Digital Health Center of Excellence" are only two of the projects that are currently being highlighted in the study as efforts to analyze and implement digital health services., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), a new category of contaminants currently in the limelight, are a major issue of global concern. The pervasive nature of CECs and their harmful effects, such as cancer, reproductive disorders, neurotoxicity, etc., make the situation alarming. The perilous nature of CECs lies in the fact that even very small concentrations of CECs can cause great impacts on living beings. They also have a nature of bioaccumulation. Thus, there is a great need to have efficient sensors for the detection of CECs to ensure a safe living environment. Electrochemical sensors are an efficient platform for CEC detection as they are highly selective, sensitive, stable, reproducible, and prompt, and can detect very low concentrations of the analyte. Major classes of CECs are pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, personal care products, endocrine disruptors, newly registered pesticides, and disinfection by-products. This review focusses on CECs, including their sources and pathways, health effects caused by them, and electrochemical sensors as reported in the literature under each category for the detection of major CECs.

Super-sensitive malathion detection was achieved using a nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor based on a CuO/ZnO-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Due to the high affinity between the Cu element and the sulfur groups in malathion, the developed CuO-ZnO/GCE sensor may bond malathion with ease, inhibiting the redox signal of the Cu element when malathion is present. In addition to significantly increasing the ability of electron transfer, the addition of 3D-flower-like ZnO enhances active sites of the sensor interface for the high affinity of malathion, giving the CuO-ZnO/GCE composite an exceptional level of sensitivity and selectivity. This enzyme-free CuO-ZnO/GCE malathion sensor demonstrates outstanding stability and excellent detection performance under optimal operating conditions with a wide linear range of malathion from 0 to 200 nM and a low detection limit of 1.367 nM. A promising alternative technique for organophosphorus pesticide (OP) determination is offered by the analytical performance of the proposed sensor, and this method can be quickly and sensitively applied to samples that have been contaminated with these pesticides.

The prognosis of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is poor, and treatment selection is challenging. A heterogeneous tumor microenvironment (TME) characterizes HGSOC and influences tumor growth, progression, and therapy response. Better characterization with multidimensional approaches for simultaneous identification and categorization of the various cell populations is needed to map the TME complexity. While mass cytometry allows the simultaneous detection of around 40 proteins, the CyTOFmerge MATLAB algorithm integrates data sets and extends the phenotyping. This pilot study explored the potential of combining two datasets for improved TME phenotyping by profiling single-cell suspensions from ten chemo-naïve HGSOC tumors by mass cytometry. A 35-marker pan-tumor dataset and a 34-marker pan-immune dataset were analyzed separately and combined with the CyTOFmerge, merging 18 shared markers. While the merged analysis confirmed heterogeneity across patients, it also identified a main tumor cell subset, additionally to the nine identified by the pan-tumor panel. Furthermore, the expression of traditional immune cell markers on tumor and stromal cells was revealed, as were marker combinations that have rarely been examined on individual cells. This study demonstrates the potential of merging mass cytometry data to generate new hypotheses on tumor biology and predictive biomarker research in HGSOC that could improve treatment effectiveness.

Background: The Global Typhoid Genomics Consortium was established to bring together the typhoid research community to aggregate and analyse Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (Typhi) genomic data to inform public health action. This analysis, which marks 22 years since the publication of the first Typhi genome, represents the largest Typhi genome sequence collection to date (n=13,000)., Methods: This is a meta-analysis of global genotype and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants extracted from previously sequenced genome data and analysed using consistent methods implemented in open analysis platforms GenoTyphi and Pathogenwatch., Results: Compared with previous global snapshots, the data highlight that genotype 4.3.1 (H58) has not spread beyond Asia and Eastern/Southern Africa; in other regions, distinct genotypes dominate and have independently evolved AMR. Data gaps remain in many parts of the world, and we show the potential of travel-associated sequences to provide informal 'sentinel' surveillance for such locations. The data indicate that ciprofloxacin non-susceptibility (>1 resistance determinant) is widespread across geographies and genotypes, with high-level ciprofloxacin resistance (≥3 determinants) reaching 20% prevalence in South Asia. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid has become dominant in Pakistan (70% in 2020) but has not yet become established elsewhere. Ceftriaxone resistance has emerged in eight non-XDR genotypes, including a ciprofloxacin-resistant lineage (4.3.1.2.1) in India. Azithromycin resistance mutations were detected at low prevalence in South Asia, including in two common ciprofloxacin-resistant genotypes., Conclusions: The consortium's aim is to encourage continued data sharing and collaboration to monitor the emergence and global spread of AMR Typhi, and to inform decision-making around the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) and other prevention and control strategies., Funding: No specific funding was awarded for this meta-analysis. Coordinators were supported by fellowships from the European Union (ZAD received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 845681), the Wellcome Trust (SB, Wellcome Trust Senior Fellowship), and the National Health and Medical Research Council (DJI is supported by an NHMRC Investigator Grant [GNT1195210])., Competing Interests: MC, ZD, DI, AA, MA, MC, KC, JC, BH, KK, MM, CP, SV, HW, AA, AA, SA, JA, PA, BB, AB, JC, Kd, AD, Jd, PD, CD, SD, ME, LF, DG, GG, MG, AG, CG, MG, RH, RH, YH, JH, OI, JI, JJ, CJ, DJ, JJ, GK, AK, AK, AK, SK, RK, RK, AL, ML, RL, SL, GM, TM, CM, AM, GN, SN, SN, TN, SN, EN, IO, SP, AP, FQ, FQ, SR, SR, DR, PR, RR, TR, JR, SS, SS, KS, MS, JS, JS, VS, JS, RS, SS, MS, AS, AS, KT, DT, AT, MT, MT, RT, NT, ST, KV, MV, BV, FW, JW, GD, SA, JK, DA, SB, KH No competing interests declared, NF NAF chairs the Wellcome Surveillance and Epidemiology of Drug Resistant Infections (SEDRIC) group, which has a focus on antimicrobial resistance. This could be perceived as relevant although not a direct conflict, IB IB has consulted to BlueDot and the NHL Players' Association, AP AJP is chair of the UK Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) but does not take part in the JCVI COVID-19 committee. He was a member of WHO SAGE until 2022. AJPs employer, Oxford University has entered into a partnership with AstraZeneca for development of a COVID-19 vaccine. AJP has provided advice to Shionogi & Co., Ltd on development of a COVID19 vaccine, (© 2023, Carey et al.)

Objectives: Open surgical tracheostomy (OST) is a common procedure performed on intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The procedure can be performed bedside in the ICU (bedside open surgical tracheostomy, BeOST) or in the operating room (operating room open surgical tracheostomy, OROST), with comparable safety and long-term complication rates. We aimed to perform a cost analysis and evaluate the use of human resources and the total time used for both BeOSTs and OROSTs., Methods: All OSTs performed in 2017 at 5 different ICUs at Oslo University Hospital Ullevål were retrospectively evaluated. The salaries of the personnel involved in the 2 procedures were obtained from the hospital's finance department. The time taken and the number of procedures performed were extracted from annual reports and from the electronic patient record system, and the annual expenditures were calculated., Results: Altogether, 142 OSTs were performed, of which 122 (86%) and 20 (14%) were BeOSTs and OROSTs, respectively. A BeOST cost 343 EUR (95% CI: 241.4-444.6) less than an OROST. Bedside open surgical tracheostomies resulted in an annual cost efficiency of 41.818 EUR. In addition, BeOSTs freed 279 hours of operating room occupancy during the study year. Choosing BeOST instead of OROST made 1 nurse, 2 surgical nurses, and 1 anesthetic nurse redundant., Conclusion: Bedside open surgical tracheostomy appears to be cost-, time-, and resource-effective than OROST. In the absence of contraindications, BeOSTs should be performed in ICU patients whenever possible.

In this article, we studied the effect of acoustic cavitation on the physicochemical and organoleptic parameters, the microstructure of Adyghe cheese made from cow's and goat's milk, and their mixture. The experimental conditions, optimal modes of ultrasonic cavitation treatment of cow and goat milk, and their mixtures are determined. It was found that high-frequency acoustic cavitation improves the physico-chemical and organoleptic indicators of cheese. The 45 kHz mode, with 17 min a processing time, is optimal, improving the microstructure of cheese, organoleptic, physico-chemical indicators., 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 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Long-term exposure to the highly toxic heavy metal arsenic can harm ecological systems and pose serious health risks to humans. Arsenic pollutant in water and the food chain must be addressed, and active prompt detection of As(III) is essential. The development of an effective detection method for As(III) ions is urgently needed to slow the alarming growth of arsenic pollution in the environment and safeguard the well-being of future generations. This study presents the results of our exhaustive investigation into cubic CsPbBr 3 single crystals, the glassy carbon (GC) electrode modification with CsPbBr 3 single crystals prepared by direct solvent evaporation, as well as our observations of the material's remarkable electrocatalytic properties and exceptional anti-interference sensing of As(III) ions in neutral pH media. The developed CsPbBr 3 /GC is exceptionally useful for the ultra-sensitive and specific identification of arsenic in water, exhibiting a detection limit of 0.381 μmol/L, a rapid response across a defined range of 0.1-25 μmol/L, and an ultra-sensitivity of 0.296 μA/μmolL -1 . CsPbBr 3 /GCE (prepared without a specific reagent) is superior to other modified electrodes used as sensors in electrocatalytic activity, detection limit, analytical sensitivity, and stability response., 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.)

Carbon materials with elusive 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D nanostructures and high surface area provide certain emerging applications in electrocatalytic and photocatalytic CO 2 utilization. Since carbon possesses high electrical conductivity, it expels the photogenerated electrons from the catalytic surface and can tune the photocatalytic activity in the visible-light region. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of pristine carbon is comparatively low due to the high recombination of photogenerated carriers. Thus, supporting carbon materials, such as graphene, CNTs (Carbon nanotubes), g-C 3 N 4 , MWCNs (Multiwall carbon nanotubes), conducting polymers, and its other simpler forms like activated carbon, nanofibers, nanosheets, and nanoparticles, are usually combined with other metal and non-metal nanocomposites to increase the CO 2 absorption and conversion. In addition, carbon-based materials with transition metals and organometallic complexes are also commonly used as photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction. This review focuses on developing efficient carbon-based nanomaterials for the photoconversion of CO 2 into solar fuels. It is concluded that MWCNs are one of the most used materials as supporting materials for CO 2 reduction. Due to the multi-layered morphology, multiple reflections will occur within the layers, thus enhancing light harvesting. In particular, stacked nanostructured hollow sphere morphologies can also help the metal doping from corroding.

Paratyphoid fever caused by S. Paratyphi A is endemic in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The proportion of enteric fever cases caused by S. Paratyphi A has substantially increased, yet only limited data is available on the population structure and genetic diversity of this serovar. We examined the phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary trajectory of S. Paratyphi A isolates collected as part of the Indian enteric fever surveillance study "Surveillance of Enteric Fever in India (SEFI)." In the study period (2017-2020), S. Paratyphi A comprised 17.6% (441/2503) of total enteric fever cases in India, with the isolates highly susceptible to all the major antibiotics used for treatment except fluoroquinolones. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the global S. Paratyphi A collection into seven lineages (A-G), and the present study isolates were distributed in lineages A, C and F. Our analysis highlights that the genome degradation events and gene acquisitions or losses are key molecular events in the evolution of new S. Paratyphi A lineages/sub-lineages. A total of 10 hypothetically disrupted coding sequences (HDCS) or pseudogenes-forming mutations possibly associated with the emergence of lineages were identified. The pan-genome analysis identified the insertion of P2/PSP3 phage and acquisition of IncX1 plasmid during the selection in 2.3.2/2.3.3 and 1.2.2 genotypes, respectively. We have identified six characteristic missense mutations associated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis genes of S. Paratyphi A, however, these mutations confer only a low structural impact and possibly have minimal impact on vaccine effectiveness. Since S. Paratyphi A is human-restricted, high levels of genetic drift are not expected unless these bacteria transmit to naive hosts. However, public-health investigation and monitoring by means of genomic surveillance would be constantly needed to avoid S. Paratyphi A serovar becoming a public health threat similar to the S. Typhi of today., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Jacob et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The use of new natural dyes derived from Leucophyllum frutescens and Ehretia microphylla as well as their combination in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been explored for the first time in the current work. The primary pigments that sensitize the semiconductor TiO 2 films were found to be carotenoid, anthocyanin, and chlorophyll. Pigments from Leucophyllum frutescens and Ehretia microphylla were designated as LF and EM, and their mixture blended at volume percent of 50:50, 75:25, and 25:75 were labeled as LE1, LE2, and LE3, respectively. The absorption range, emission intensities, and the functional groups of the dyes and dye-loaded TiO 2 photo-anode films were analyzed using ultraviolet-visible, photoluminescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The surface morphology of bare and sensitized TiO 2 films was identified through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To evaluate the photovoltaic performance of the fabricated devices, the current-voltage characteristics, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency measurements were performed. The study found that the co-sensitized cell LE2 outperformed both single and mixed dye-based cells, achieving a maximum conversion efficiency of 1.33% with a V oc of 516 mV and a J sc of 2.55 mA cm -2 . This synergetic effect of natural dyes proved the superior performance of DSSCs with co-sensitization., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

During the present century, plant-based zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are exploited extensively for their vast biological properties due to their unique characteristic features and eco-friendly nature. Diabetes is one of the fast-growing human diseases/abnormalities worldwide, and the need for new/ novel antiglycation products is the need of the hour. The study deals with the phyto-fabrication of ZnO-NPs from Boerhaavia erecta, a medicinally important plant, and to evaluate their antioxidant and antiglycation ability in vitro. UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the phyto-fabricated ZnO-NPs. The characterization of nanoparticles revealed that the particles showed an absorption peak at 362 nm and band gap energy of 3.2 eV, approximately 20.55 nm in size, with a ZnO elemental purity of 96.61%. The synthesized particles were found agglomerated when observed under SEM, and the FT-IR studies proved that the phyto-constituents of the extract involved during the different stages (reduction, capping, and stabilization) of nanoparticles synthesis. The antioxidant and metal chelating activities confirmed that ZnO-NPs could inhibit the free radicals generated, which was dose-dependent with an IC 50 value between 1.81 and 1.94 mg mL -1 , respectively. In addition, the phyto-fabricated nanoparticles blocked the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) as noticed through inhibition of Amadori products, trapping of reactive dicarbonyl intermediate and breaking the cross-link of glycated protein. It was also noted that the phyto-fabricated ZnO-NPs significantly prevented the damage of red blood corpuscles (RBCs) induced by MGO. The present study's findings will provide an experimental basis for exploring ZnO-NPs in diabetes-related complications., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Bismuth-based perovskites are an important class of materials in the fabrication of lead-free perovskite solar cells. Bi-based Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 and CsBi 3 I 10 perovskites are getting much attention due to their appropriate bandgap values of 2.05 eV and 1.77 eV, respectively. However, the device optimisation process plays a key role in controlling the film quality and the performance of perovskite solar cells. Hence, a new strategy to improve crystallization as well as the thin film quality is equally important to develop efficient perovskite solar cells. Herein, an attempt was made to prepare the Bi-based Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 and CsBi 3 I 10 perovskites via the ligand-assisted re-precipitation approach (LARP). The physical, structural, and optical properties were investigated on perovskite films deposited by the solution process for solar cell applications. Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 and CsBi 3 I 10 -based perovskite-based solar cells were fabricated using the device architecture of ITO/NiO x /perovskite layer/PC 61 BM/BCP/Ag. The device fabricated with CsBi 3 I 10 showed the best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.3% with an improved fill factor (FF) of 69%, V OC of 0.79 V, and J SC of 4.2 mA cm -2 compared to the Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 -based device which showed a PCE of 0.7% with a FF of 47%, V OC of 0.62 V and J SC of 2.4 mA cm -2 ., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Palliative care seeks to improve outcomes for patients with advanced illness (AI). Advocacy exists for making it part of mainstream care for hospitalized patients with AI., Aim: To determine if a partnership between hospital-medicine and specialized palliative care would increase identification of AI patients with palliative care needs requiring palliative consultation. Secondary outcomes: Decreasing 30-day readmission, length of stay (LOS) and pain scores, increasing documentation reflecting goals and advanced care planning., Design: Retrospective chart review of patients with AI admitted to a hospitalist-resident run unit divided into Care Models, "A" and "B," and analyzed over two ten-month periods, "1" and "2." Triggers for palliative needs were provided for "A." During biweekly rounding, needs were assessed and generalist vs. specialist level palliative care concepts were used for consultation., Setting: Quaternary-level teaching center in the New York Metropolitan area., Patients: 3,395 AI patients were analyzed, 1,707 from "1," and 1,688 from "2.", Results: Comparing care models and time frames, palliative care consultation increased in "A" ( P -value = .0013, P -value = .0005). When investigating "A" in "1" to "2," CMI was higher. Comparing "B" between "1" and "2," found older age and lower LACE. When adjusting for confounders (LACE and CMI), our models did not show a difference. Data on discharge disposition was significant for subacute rehab but not for mortality. There were no differences between care models and time-periods for secondary outcomes., Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the demand for palliative care services integrated into hospital medicine and highlighted areas of focus for future studies.

Background: The prevalence of superficial fungal infections in India is believed to have increased substantially in the past decade. We evaluated the treatment outcomes and risk factors associated with clinical response to a treatment course of itraconazole for the management of dermatomycosis in India., Methods: In this real-world, prospective pilot study (August 2019 to March 2020), adult participants (18-60 years), diagnosed with T. cruris or T. corporis, received itraconazole 200 mg/day (any formulation) orally for 7 days, and were followed for an additional 7 days., Results: The study was terminated early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 40 enrolled participants (mean [SD] age, 35.5 [12.73] years; {62.5%}] male; 37 received itraconazole and 20 (50%) completed the study. The median (range) Clinical Evaluation Tool Signs and Symptoms total score at baseline was 5.5 (2-10). Clinical response of "healed" or "markedly improved" based on the Investigator Global Evaluation Tool at day 7 (primary objective) was 42.9% (12/28; 95% CI: 24.53%, 61.19%). Itraconazole minimum inhibitory concentration for identified microorganisms, T. mentagrophytes species complex (91.7%) and T. rubrum (8.3%), was within the susceptibility range (0.015-0.25 mcg/mL). At day 14, 8/13 (61.5%) participants achieved a mycological response, 2/13 participants (15.4%) had a mycological failure and 90% showed a clinical response., Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic affected patient recruitment and follow-up, so the findings call for a careful interpretation. Nevertheless, this real-world study reconfirmed the clinical efficacy and microbial susceptibility to itraconazole for the fungi causing dermatophytosis in India., Trial Registration: Trial registration number: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03923010., Competing Interests: S. Handa, M. Shenoy, S. Anandan and M. Bhrushundi have nothing to disclose. D. Fife is a former employee of Janssen Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson. A Villasis-Keever, N. Garodia, P. DeDoncker, K. Shalayda, P. Hu, S. Fonseca, and N. Cure-bolt are employees of Janssen Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson that markets a brand of itraconazole and may own stocks or stock options in Johnson & Johnson. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2023 Handa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In the present study, the binding affinity of 52 bioactive secondary metabolites from Wedelia trilobata towards the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein (PDB: 2W3L) structure was identified by using in silico molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. The molecular docking results demonstrated that the binding energies of docked compounds with Bcl-2 protein ranged from -5.3 kcal/mol to -10.1 kcal/mol. However, the lowest binding energy (-10.1 kcal/mol) was offered by Friedelin against Bcl-2 protein when compared to other metabolites and the standard drug Obatoclax (-8.4 kcal/mol). The molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the Friedelin-Bcl-2 protein complex was found to be stable throughout the simulation period of 100 ns. Overall, the predicted Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) properties of Friedelin are relatively better than Obatoclax, with the most noticeable differences in many parameters where Friedelin has no AMES toxicity, hepatotoxicity, and skin sensitization. The ADMET profiling of selected compounds supported their in silico drug-likeness properties. Based on the computational analyses, the present study concluded that Friedelin of W. trilobata was found to be the potential inhibitor of the Bcl-2 protein, which merits attention for further in vitro and in vivo studies before clinical trials.

This paper presents an experimental analysis of the optimization of PZT-based tiles for energy harvesting. The hardware (actual experiment), PZT-based tiles, were developed using 6 × 6 piezoelectric (PZT-lead zirconate titanate) sensors of 40 mm in diameter on a hard cardboard sheet (300 × 300 mm 2 ). Our experimental analysis of the designed tiles obtained an optimized power of 3.626 mW (85 kg or 0.83 kN using 36 sensors) for one footstep and 0.9 mW for 30 footsteps at high tapping frequency. Theoretical analysis was conducted with software (Design-Expert) using the response surface methodology (RSM) for optimized PZT tiles, obtaining a power of 6784.155 mW at 150 kg or 1.47 kN weight using 34 sensors. This software helped to formulate the mathematical equation for the most suitable PZT tile model for power optimization. It used the quadratic model to provide adjusted and predicted R2 values of 0.9916 and 0.9650, respectively. The values were less than 0.2 apart, which indicates a high correlation between the actual and predicted values. The outcome of the various experiments can help with the selection of input factors for optimized power during pavement design.

Cladosporium spp. have been reported for their great diversity of secondary metabolites which represent as a prominent base material for verifying the biological activities. Several bioactive compounds which have antimicrobial, cytotoxic, quorum sensing inhibitory and phytotoxic activities have been isolated from Cladosporium species. Most of them are still needed to be explored for their anticancer properties. Therefore, the present study is focused on screening and identifying the bioactive compounds of Cladosporium spp. for their anticancer activity via the integrated approaches of Molecular Docking (MD), Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies. A total of 123 bioactive compounds of Cladosporium spp. were explored for their binding affinity with the selected breast cancer drug target receptor such as estrogen receptor alpha (PDB:6CBZ). The Molecular Docking studies revealed that amongst the bioactive compounds screened, Altertoxin X and Cladosporol H showed a good binding affinity of - 10.5 kcal/mol and - 10.3 kcal/mol, respectively, with the estrogen receptor alpha when compared to the reference compound (17[Formula: see text]-Estradiol: - 10.2 kcal/mol). The MDS study indicated the stable binding patterns and conformation of the estrogen receptor alpha-Altertoxin X complex in a stimulating environment. In addition, in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) study suggested that Altertoxin X has a good oral bioavailability with a high LD[Formula: see text] value of 2.375 mol/kg and did not cause any hepatotoxicity and skin sensitization. In summary, the integrated approaches revealed that Altertoxin X possesses a promising anticancer activity and could serve as a new therapeutic drug for breast cancer treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Breast cancer is the second most common malignancy in females worldwide and poses a great challenge that necessitates the identification of novel therapeutic agents from several sources. This research aimed to study the molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations of four proteins (such as PDB: 6CBZ, 1FDW, 5GWK and 2WTT) with the selected phytochemicals from Withania somnifera to identify the potential inhibitors for breast cancer. The molecular docking result showed that among 44 compounds, two of them, Ashwagandhanolide and Withanolide sulfoxide have the potential to inhibit estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), 17-beta-hydroxysteroid -dehydrogenase type 1 (17β-HSD1), topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) and p73 tetramerization domain that are expressed during breast cancer. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulations results suggested that Ashwagandhanolide remained inside the binding cavity of four targeted proteins and contributed favorably towards forming a stable protein-ligand complex throughout the simulation. Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity (ADMET) properties confirmed that Ashwagandhanolide is hydrophobic and has moderate intestinal permeability, good intestinal absorption, and poor skin permeability. The compound has a relatively low VDss value (-1.652) and can be transported across ABC transporter and good central nervous system (CNS) permeability but did not easily cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This compound does not possess any mutagenicity, hepatotoxicity and skin sensitization. Based on the results obtained, the present study highlights the anticancer potential of Ashwagandhanolide, a compound from W. somnifera. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to perform before clinical trials to prove the potentiality of Ashwagandhanolide., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Various studies have been conducted in recent years to find solutions to the issues in wind energy conversion systems. A 100W horizontal axis micro wind turbine is built for low wind speed applications in this work. The Blade Element Momentum theory approach was used to design the 100W micro wind turbine blade. The wind turbine blade 3D model was created using the CREO CAD 3.0 software. Based on the aerodynamic studies, the airfoil S9000 is chosen among others for generating high power at low wind speed. The density, Young's modulus, and the Poisson ratio of the proposed wind turbine blade model with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) materials were compared. ABS and PLA materials were investigated using a 0.33 mm layer of infill ranging from 10% to 100%. PLA and ABS output values were compared in terms of deformation, equivalent stress, and equivalent strain. PLA materials, on the other hand, have less deformation and greater structural properties than ABS materials. The wind blade structural analysis was performed in ANSYS 15 software, and the details of experimental and simulated results are presented in this paper.

Purpose: Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in African countries. However, the incidence in Indian subcontinent remains poorly documented. This study has assessed the incidence of iNTS in India with a perspective on its AMR profiles and serovar distribution for a period of 21 years from 2000 to 2020 from a tertiary care centre in South India., Methods: A total of 461 iNTS isolates were subjected to serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). A subset of isolates was genotyped by multi locus sequence typing (MLST) and results were compared to serotyping to predict the accuracy., Results: Overall, 461 iNTS isolates were characterised mostly comprising of S. Typhimurium (49.2%) and S. Enteritidis (28.8%). Proportion of isolates resistant to first line antibiotics such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole were 6.7%, 1.7% and 3.6% respectively. Isolates resistant to third generation cephalosporin are at a gradual rise while decreased susceptibility to quinolones was most common. The incidence of iNTS infection was maximum in the age group of &gt;15 years. MLST analysis showed discrepancies in assigning the serovars by serotyping as three S. Saintpaul were identified as S. Typhimurium., Conclusion: The clinical epidemiology, serovar distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of invasive Salmonella isolates from India suggest that there is only a small burden of iNTS disease. However the gradual emergence of AMR in iNTS isolates indicates serious risk for public health warranting the importance enhanced molecular surveillance., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that there is no potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To study the association of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) in patients with laryngeal pathologies. Study design: prospective observational study. Tertiary care teaching hospital. One hundred consecutive patients with laryngeal lesions scheduled for microlaryngoscopy were enrolled in the study. Laryngopharyngeal reflux was assessed using the reflux symptom index and reflux finding score. Tissue samples from the laryngeal lesions were taken under general anaesthesia and were screened for the presence of H. pylori using real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for ure A genes and histopathological examination. Of the 100 patients, 14 had a significant reflux symptom index score and 35 had significant reflux finding score. The lesions in the study subjects included both benign and malignant laryngeal pathologies. Vocal cord polyps formed more than half of the laryngeal pathology (57%) studied. Our study could not detect H. pylori in any laryngeal lesions by PCR analysis and histopathological examination. H. pylori may not be associated with laryngeal pathologies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2021.)

Brain segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images is the process of isolating the brain from non-brain tissues to simplify the further analysis, such as detecting pathology or calculating volumes. This paper proposes a Graph-based Unsupervised Brain Segmentation (GUBS) that processes 3D MRI images and segments them into brain, non-brain tissues, and backgrounds. GUBS first constructs an adjacency graph from a preprocessed MRI image, weights it by the difference between voxel intensities, and computes its minimum spanning tree (MST). It then uses domain knowledge about the different regions of MRIs to sample representative points from the brain, non-brain, and background regions of the MRI image. The adjacency graph nodes corresponding to sampled points in each region are identified and used as the terminal nodes for paths connecting the regions in the MST. GUBS then computes a subgraph of the MST by first removing the longest edge of the path connecting the terminal nodes in the brain and other regions, followed by removing the longest edge of the path connecting non-brain and background regions. This process results in three labeled, connected components, whose labels are used to segment the brain, non-brain tissues, and the background. GUBS was tested by segmenting 3D T1 weighted MRI images from three publicly available data sets. GUBS shows comparable results to the state-of-the-art methods in terms of performance. However, many competing methods rely on having labeled data available for training. Labeling is a time-intensive and costly process, and a big advantage of GUBS is that it does not require labels.

Here, a scheme that aptly describes the reduction of gold nanoparticles' crystalline size on the surface of MWCNTs in an aqueous phase to generate a LAMWCNT-Au heterostructure, employing an Nd:YAG laser (energy = 505 mJ and λ = 1064 nm) is developed. Such a LAMWCNT-Au heterostructure results in the development of an easy electrochemical procedure based on voltammetry analysis for ultra-sensitive glutathione sensing. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to examine the composition and morphology of laser-ablated adhesion of AuNPs over the MWCNT heterostructure. With a wide dynamic range of 0.1-9 μmol L -1 , the LAMWCNT-Au heterostructure can detect glutathione with a high sensitivity of 0.1186 μA (μmol L -1 ) -1 at the low limit of detection (LLOD; 0.93 μmol L -1 ). It improves electron transfer and promotes redox reactions by increasing the conductivity and surface area. The findings show that the fabricated LAMWCNT-Au/GCE is an effortless and potent biosensing prototype for the identification of glutathione (GSH) at a negative potential in a neutral medium. The substantial synergistic surface impact produced by the introduction of AuNPs over MWCNTs exhibits exceptional electrocatalytic activity in comparison with individual MWCNT and AuNP. Moreover, the LAMWCNT-Au heterostructure has excellent selectivity, long-term stability, and reproducibility, and it can easily separate target molecules that were identified using various voltammetric analyses.

The Li-ion hybrid capacitor (LIHC) system explores the possibility of achieving both high energy and power density in a single energy storage system with an intercalation anode and capacitive cathode. However, to achieve a high power and energy-based system, the properties of the cathode electrode material are vital. Here, bio-waste plant stem-derived activated porous carbon is explored as a cathode for LIHC application. A specific surface area of 1826 m 2 g -1 , enhanced degree of crystallinity, and graphitization results for porous carbon from activation by potassium hydroxide. When employed as supercapacitor material, the device exhibits good rate capability, energy, and power attributes with a specific capacitance of 116 F g -1 (1 A g -1 ). Simultaneously when tested for LIHC application the formulated device shows good capacity retention for 2500 cycles with a high energy density of 125 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 69 W kg -1 . The work demonstrates unique, cost-effective strategy to develop a crystalline high surface area carbon from any such bio-waste sources to be employed as potential electrodes for energy storage applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Global Challenges published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: Although there have been numerous studies on dental caries in children with Down syndrome, the reports are conflicting. Studies on salivary chemical composition of children with Down syndrome are limited., Aim: The study aims to evaluate and compare the dental caries experience, salivary flow rate, pH, buffering capacity, and concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, total proteins, and sialic acid in children with Down syndrome and healthy controls., Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study., Materials and Methods: Forty subjects with Down syndrome aged 5-18 years fulfilling the eligibility criteria from six special schools were selected by snowball sampling. Sixty healthy controls from six neighborhood schools fulfilling the eligibility criteria were selected by simple random sampling by matching the age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Sociodemographic data, oral hygiene practices, diet history and dental caries experience were recorded. About 6 mL of stimulated whole saliva was collected. Salivary flow rate, salivary pH, buffering capacity, and the concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, total proteins, and sialic acid were determined., Results: There was no significant difference in the mean proportional caries rate between the study and control group (P = 0.90). Salivary pH (P = 0.00) and salivary sodium concentration (P = 0.02) were significantly low in the study group than the control group. Salivary buffering capacity was significantly higher in the study group than the control group (P = 0.001)., Conclusions: Dental caries experience of children with Down syndrome was similar to the healthy controls. School health programs could be implemented in special schools to improve oral and general health of special children., Competing Interests: None

Scrub typhus is a zoonotic febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by Leptotrombidium larvae. Scrub typhus often presents with nonspecific clinical features, and ranges in severity from mild illness to multiorgan failure and fatality. The disease is primarily found in the Asia-Pacific rim, including India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, and China. Due to frequent limitations in healthcare resources in many of these countries, the diagnosis and management of scrub typhus meningoencephalitis pose unique challenges. This review focuses on the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnostic testing, and management modalities in such resource-limited settings. Exercising a high index of clinical suspicion and timely diagnostic tests and management strategies are vital to prevent life-threatening complications of this treatable illness., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Unni et al.)

With the excessive genome plasticity, Acinetobacter baumannii can acquire and disseminate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes often associated with mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Analyzing the genetic environment of resistance genes often provides valuable information on the origin, emergence, evolution, and spread of resistance. Thus, we characterized the genomic features of some clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAb) to understand the role of diverse MGEs and their genetic context responsible for disseminating carbapenem resistance genes. For this, 17 clinical isolates of A. baumannii obtained from multiple hospitals in India between 2018 and 2019 were analyzed. AMR determinants, the genetic context of resistance genes, and molecular epidemiology were studied using whole-genome sequencing. This study observed an increased prevalence of bla OXA-23 followed by dual carbapenemases, bla OXA-23 , and bla NDM . This study identified three novel Oxford MLST sequence types. The majority of the isolates belonged to the dominant clone, IC2, followed by less prevalent clones such as IC7 and IC8. This study identified variations of AbaR4 and AbGRI belonging to the IC2 lineage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that provides comprehensive profiling of resistance islands, their related MGEs, acquired AMR genes, and the distribution of clonal lineages of CRAb from India., 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., (Copyright © 2022 Vijayakumar, Jacob, Vasudevan, Mathur, Ray, Neeravi, Baskaran, Kirubananthan, Anandan, Biswas, Walia and Veeraraghavan.)

Ultrasound induced cavitation (acoustic cavitation) process is found useful in various applications. Scientists from various disciplines have been exploring the fundamental aspects of acoustic cavitation processes over several decades. It is well documented that extreme localised temperature and pressure conditions are generated when a cavitation bubble collapses. Several experimental techniques have also been developed to estimate cavitation bubble temperatures. Depending upon specific experimental conditions, light emission from cavitation bubbles is observed, referred to as sonoluminescence. Sonoluminescence studies have been used to develop a fundamental understanding of cavitation processes in single and multibubble systems. This minireview aims to provide some highlights on the development of basic understandings of acoustic cavitation processes using cavitation bubble temperature, sonoluminescence and interfacial chemistry over the past 2-3 decades., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Emotion processing deficits have been described in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and are considered one of the core cognitive abnormalities in BD with endophenotype potential. However, the literature on specific impairments in emotion processing cognitive strategies (directive/cortical/higher versus intuitive/limbic/lower) in euthymic adult BD patients and healthy first-degree relatives/high-risk (HR) subjects in comparison with healthy controls (HCs) is sparse., Methods: We examined facial emotion recognition deficits (FERD) in BD ( N = 30), HR ( N = 21), and HC ( N = 30) matched for age (years), years of education, and sex using computer-administered face emotions-Matching And Labeling Task (eMALT)., Results: The three groups were significantly different based on labeling accuracy scores for fear and anger (FA) (P < 0.001) and sad and disgust (SD) (P < 0.001). On post-hoc analysis, HR subjects exhibited a significant deficit in the labeling accuracy of FA facial emotions (P < 0.001) compared to HC. The BD group was found to have significant differences in all FA (P = 0.004) and SD (P = 0.003) emotion matching as well as FA (P = 0.001) and SD (P < 0.001) emotion labeling accuracy scores., Conclusions: BD in remission exhibits FERD in general, whereas specific labeling deficits of fear and anger emotions, indicating impaired directive higher order aspect of emotion processing, were demonstrated in HR subjects. This appears to be a potential endophenotype. These deficits could underlie the pathogenesis in BD, with possible frontolimbic circuitry impairment. They may have potential implications in functional recovery and prognosis of BD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2021 Indian Psychiatric Society - South Zonal Branch.)

To acquire substantial electrochemical signals of guanine-GUA and adenine-ADE present in deoxyribonucleic acid-DNA, it is critical to investigate innovative electrode materials and their interfaces. In this study, gold-loaded boron-doped graphene quantum dots (Au@B-GQDs) interface was prepared via ultrasound-aided reduction method for monitoring GUA and ADE electrochemically. Transmission electron microscopy-TEM, Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy-UV-Vis, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy-XPS, cyclic voltammetry-CV, and differential pulse voltammetry-DPV were used to examine the microstructure of the fabricated interfaceand demonstrate its electrochemical characteristics. The sensor was constructed by depositing the as-prepared Au@B-GQDs as a thin layer on a glassy carbon-GC electrode by the drop-casting method and carried out the electrochemical studies. The resulting sensor exhibited a good response with a wide linear range (GUA = 0.5-20 μM, ADE = 0.1-20 μM), a low detection limit-LOD (GUA = 1.71 μM, ADE = 1.84 μM), excellent sensitivity (GUA = 0.0820 µAµM -1 , ADE = 0.1561 µAµM -1 ) and selectivity with common interferents results from biological matrixes. Furthermore, it seems to have prominentselectivity, reproducibility, repeatability, and long-lastingstability. The results demonstrate that the fabricated Au@B-GQDs/GC electrode is a simple and effective sensing platform for detecting GUA and ADE in neutral media at low potential as it exhibited prominent synergistic impact and outstanding electrocatalytic activity corresponding to individual AuNPs and B-GQDs modified electrodes., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)