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Abstract Preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, poses significant risks to maternal and fetal health. Recent research highlights the potential of vertical circulating exosomes (VCEs) as biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of preeclampsia. Exosomes, small extracellular vesicles involved in intercellular communication, carry bioactive molecules that are messengers of the parental cell status (healthy or undergoing any pathological condition). In preeclampsia, alterations in the cargo of VCEssuch as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids play the role of biomarkers in pathophysiology complications. These exosomal contents can provide insights into the underlying mechanisms, including endothelial dysfunction, immune response dysregulation, and placental abnormalities. Early identification of specific exosomal biomarkers may facilitate timely therapeutic interventions, improving outcomes for both mother and child. This article explores the emerging role of VCEs in preeclampsia, emphasizing their diagnostic and prognostic potential, and underscores the need for further research to validate these biomarkers and integrate them into clinical practice.

Abstract Exosomes are signalling molecules related to cell‐to‐cell communication. Based on sources (plants, stem cells, and immune cells derived exosomes) it offers promising therapeutic activity against cancer. Plant‐derived exosomes (PDEs) are natural extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are potent to provide organic precision nanomedicine to cancer therapeutics including targeted drug delivery. PDEs are gaining attention due to their safety and efficacy. There are plenty of different sources of PDEs in nature. This article explores various plants such as carrots, ginger, lemons, cabbages, blueberries, oranges, tomatoes, grapefruits, and tea leaves, which provide exosomes with distinct therapeutic properties, including anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. PDEs exhibit significant potential in drug delivery. Ongoing research and clinical trials predict that PDEs will become effective, and affordable solutions for cancer treatment.

Akyl urea derivatives, either symmetrical or unsymmetrical in nature possessing a free N-H or N-alkyl moieties in the molecular framework of urea governs the excited state properties of acridinedione dye (ADR1) which is a resorcinol-based derivative. Fluorescence enhancement (FE) of ADR1 dye is observed on the addition of unsymmetrical urea derivatives, whereas a decrease in the fluorescence intensity resulted upon the addition of symmetrical urea derivatives. The nature of the urea derivatives controls the suppression of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) via space, which is the cause of the FE. FQ results from the donor and acceptor moieties of ADR1 dye promoting the PET process. Urea (U), symmetrical and unsymmetrical urea derivatives (except Tetramethyl urea (TMU)) results no significant shift of the localized excited (LE) state emission of ADR1 dye. Studies of the ADR1 dye’s fluorescence lifetime in the presence of urea compounds show a significant increase in lifetime. This phenomenon is explained by a significant difference in the hydrogen-bonding (HB) pattern, which causes variation in the microenvironment created by the solute molecules in the aqueous phase. Both the hydrophobic effects of the alkyl group substituents in the urea molecular framework and the HB interactions between the solute and solvent influence the excited state features of ADR1 dye. Further, the role of urea derivatives and ADR1 dye (both are considered as competitive guest molecules) energetics and molecular interactions were studied in the presence of host molecule, Human Serum Albumin (HSA). The binding energy (BE) and several bimolecular interactions driven by urea derivatives in the presence of ADR1-HSA complex in comparison with that of urea derivatives-HSA complex were investigated by molecular docking (Mol.Doc) methodology. Incorporating theoretical research along with steady state and time-resolved fluorescence investigations proved to be an effective method to evaluate the interactions of competing solutes comprising both hydrophobic and HB functional groups.

Community-forming traits (CFts) play an important role in the effective colonization of plant-growth-promoting bacterial communities that influence host plants positively by modulating their adaptive functions. In this study, by considering plant-growth-promoting traits (PGPts) and community-forming traits (CFts), three communities were constructed, viz., SM1 (PGPts), SM2 (CFts), and SM3 (PGPts+CFts). Each category isolates were picked up on the basis of their catabolic diversity of different carbon sources. Results revealed a distinctive pattern in the colonization of the communities possessed with CF traits. It was observed that the community with CFts colonized inside the plant in groups or in large aggregations, whereas the community with only PGPts colonized as separate individual and small colonies inside the plant root and leaf. The effect of SM3 in the microcosm experiment was more significant than the uninoculated control by 22.12%, 27.19%, and 9.11% improvement in germination percentage, chlorophyll content, and plant biomass, respectively. The significant difference shown by the microbial community SM3 clearly demonstrates the integrated effect of CFts and PGPts on effective colonization vis-à-vis positive influence on the host plant. Further detailed characterization of the interaction will take this technology ahead in sustainable agriculture.

Abstract The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) represents a pivotal frontier in oncology, playing a central role in the metastatic cascade of cancer—a leading global health challenge. This comprehensive review delves into the complexities of EMT, a process where cancer cells gain exceptional mobility, facilitating their invasion into distant organs and the establishment of secondary malignancies. We thoroughly examine the myriad of factors influencing EMT, encompassing transcription factors, signalling pathways, metabolic alterations, microRNAs, long non‐coding RNAs, epigenetic changes, exosomal interactions and the intricate dynamics of the tumour microenvironment. Particularly, the review emphasises the advanced stages of EMT, crucial for the development of highly aggressive cancer phenotypes. During this phase, cancer cells penetrate the vascular barrier and exploit the bloodstream to propagate life‐threatening metastases through the mesenchymal–epithelial transition. We also explore EMT's significant role in fostering tumour dormancy, senescence, the emergence of cancer stem cells and the formidable challenge of therapeutic resistance. Our review transcends a mere inventory of EMT‐inducing elements; it critically assesses the current state of EMT‐focused clinical trials, revealing both the hurdles and significant breakthroughs. Highlighting the potential of EMT research, we project its transformative impact on the future of cancer therapy. This exploration is aimed at paving the way towards an era of effectively managing this relentless disease, positioning EMT at the forefront of innovative cancer research strategies.

Abstract Natural products are a rich resource of bioactive compounds for valuable applications across multiple fields such as food, agriculture, and medicine. For natural product discovery, high throughput in silico screening offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional resource-heavy assay-guided exploration of structurally novel chemical space. In this data descriptor, we report a characterized database of 67,064,204 natural product-like molecules generated using a recurrent neural network trained on known natural products, demonstrating a significant 165-fold expansion in library size over the approximately 400,000 known natural products. This study highlights the potential of using deep generative models to explore novel natural product chemical space for high throughput in silico discovery.

ABSTRACTPlant genotype and agroecology influence the composition and functionality of seed endophytic bacterial communities. Taxonomic analysis of 123 wheat seeds endophytic bacteria classified these into 23 genera predominantly under Firmicutes followed by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Genus Bacillus was most abundant (30.7%) followed by Streptomyces (18.4%) with other representative genera such as Stenotrophomonas, Paenibacillus, Mixta, Enterobacter, Micrococcus, Pantoea, Alkalihalobacillus, Cortiobacterium, and more. Across agroecologies, the core microbiota of seeds consists of Bacillus, Streptomyces, Paenibacillus, and Stenotrophomonas, with maximum diversity and abundance observed in seeds of the North Western Plain Zone of India. Seed endophytic bacteria had PGP traits; nitrogen fixation (n = 101), production of IAA (n = 65), siderophores (n = 43), ammonia (n = 82) and solubilization of phosphate (n = 47), potassium (n = 37), and zinc (n = 8). The isolates produced HCN and hydrolytic enzymes and displayed antagonism against fungal pathogens. Overall, the information generated on wheat seeds’ endophytic bacterial taxonomy and beneficial traits may pave the path for the development of novel bioinoculants.Key message Wheat seeds from various agro-ecologies of India harbor diverse endophytic bacteria.Firmicutes were dominant followed by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria.Genus Bacillus, Stenotrophomonas, Streptomyces, and Paenibacillus were core endophytic bacteria in different agro-ecologies.The endophytic bacterial strains were displaying diverse functional traits.

Allium cepa is an herbaceous biennial plant cultivated for its edible bulb and the elementary ingredient in Indian cooking. The surplus onion presents a huge loss due to drying rotting, sprouting, fungal damage, etc. Formulating an onion gummy is a rich source of antioxidants that can promote healthy living and prevent diseases. Our study developed an antioxidant-rich gummy using red onion transforming its pungent taste using tamarind. The gummy samples were subjected to physicochemical analysis where the pH of the samples was in the range of 5.64 to 5.51, the moisture and sugar content ranged from 59.6 to 57.9 and 60.97 to 59.10 respectively, the texture properties of the gummy jelly showed hardness in the range from 571.81±0.2 to 378.26±0.9 g, chewiness from 1,819.1 ± 64.22 to 1,390.9 ± 56.7 g, adhesiveness from 57.4 ± 1.33 to 58.6 ± 1.55, and springiness from 48.78±0.2 to 40.73±0.4 and finally the chromaticity values (L*, a*, and b*) of gummy jelly were, lightness in the range from 7.78±0.08 to 5.83±0.08, redness from 3.39±0.10 to 0.54±0.08 and yellowness from 1.65±0.05 to 1.27±0.05. The antioxidant activity was analyzed using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity and was in the range of 29.75 to 78.85% and 18 to 62% respectively. The sensory evaluation showed that buying intention was highly ranked followed by appearance, taste, flavor, overall preference, and texture. In this study, we conclude that the antioxidant-rich red onion gummy jelly (ROGJ) developed with potential antioxidant activity can be commercialized and could be a healthy substitute for commercial unhealthy gummy jellies.

This research endeavours to contribute to the broader field of wind turbine aerodynamics by investigating a method to enhance the performance of airfoils, with specific attention to the NACA2414 airfoil at a 15-degree angle of attack. The study explores the airfoil’s performance across a range of -10 to 15 degrees angle of attack. It employs both PARSEC parametrization and Genetic Algorithm optimization, achieving significant advancements. At a 15-degree angle of attack, post-optimization, the lift coefficient for the NACA2414 airfoil exhibits a remarkable increase to 1.5275 at a Reynolds number of 105, surpassing the original airfoil’s performance of 1.2407. This progress highlights the effectiveness of utilizing PARSEC parametrization and Genetic Algorithm optimization, particularly in low-speed wind turbine applications. While emphasizing potential applications in low-wind-speed scenarios, the findings underscore the significance of these techniques in renewable energy production.

It is yet unknown what causes cardiovascular disease (CVD), but we do know that it is associated with a high risk of death, as well as severe morbidity and disability. There is an urgent need for AI-based technologies that are able to promptly and reliably predict the future outcomes of individuals who have cardiovascular disease. The Internet of Things (IoT) is serving as a driving force behind the development of CVD prediction. In order to analyse and make predictions based on the data that IoT devices receive, machine learning (ML) is used. Traditional machine learning algorithms are unable to take differences in the data into account and have a low level of accuracy in their model predictions. This research presents a collection of machine learning models that can be used to address this problem. These models take into account the data observation mechanisms and training procedures of a number of different algorithms. In order to verify the efficacy of our strategy, we combined the Heart Dataset with other classification models. The proposed method provides nearly 96 percent of accuracy result than other existing methods and the complete analysis over several metrics has been analysed and provided. Research in the field of deep learning will benefit from additional data from a large number of medical institutions, which may be used for the development of artificial neural network structures.

Wheat yield can be limited by many biotic and abiotic factors. Heat stress at the grain filling stage is a factor that reduces wheat production tremendously. The potential role of endophytic microorganisms in mitigating plant stress through various biomolecules like enzymes and growth hormones and also by improving plant nutrition has led to a more in-depth exploration of the plant microbiome for such functions. Hence, we devised this study to investigate the abundance and diversity of wheat seed endophytic bacteria (WSEB) from heatS (heat susceptible, GW322) and heatT (heat tolerant, HD3298 and HD3271) varieties by culturable and unculturable approaches. The results evidenced that the culturable diversity was higher in the heatS variety than in the heatT variety and Bacillus was found to be dominant among the 10 different bacterial genera identified. Though the WSEB population was higher in the heatS variety, a greater number of isolates from the heatT variety showed tolerance to higher temperatures (up to 55°C) along with PGP activities such as indole acetic acid (IAA) production and nutrient acquisition. Additionally, the metagenomic analysis of seed microbiota unveiled higher bacterial diversity, with a predominance of the phyla Proteobacteria covering >50% of OTUs, followed by Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. There were considerable variations in the abundance and diversity between heat sensitivity contrasting varieties, where notably more thermophilic bacterial OTUs were observed in the heatT samples, which could be attributed to conferring tolerance against heat stress. Furthermore, exploring the functional characteristics of culturable and unculturable microbiomes would provide more comprehensive information on improving plant growth and productivity for sustainable agriculture.

Nanoliposomes are bilayer phospholipid vesicles used to encapsulate and deliver therapeutic agents. The study was aimed to investigate the effects of critical variables on nanoliposomes characteristics. Imatinib mesylate-loaded nanoliposomes were formulated by the two-step emulsification process using a high-speed homogenizer system and probe-type ultrasonicator. The Box-Behnken design was utilized to optimize the process parameters. The mean particle size of nanoliposomes was found to be 211 nm to 623.3 nm with a low value of polydispersity index (0.005 to 0.7). Zeta potential values varied from ‒27.6 mV to ‒9.2 mV in uncoated nanoliposomes to +27.5 mV in chitosan-coated nanoliposomes. The encapsulation efficiency in formulation NLP-H8 containing 200 mg of phosphatidylcholine, homogenization speed of 12000 rpm, and 7 min of sonication time was found to be 76.49% without the coating and 85.4% in 0.2% w/v chitosan-coated nanoliposomes. TEM image confirmed the spherical shape of nanoliposomes. In-vitro drug release study demonstrated that the optimized nanoliposomal formulations released 84.67% of the loaded drug after 24 h in 0.1 N HCl. The IC50 value of formulation NLP-H8 was found to be 7.98 μM. Nanoliposomal formulations were prepared successfully with suitable size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release. The models developed in this study may be utilized further as a response surface for the various parameters of nanoliposomes.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the efficacy of Ultrasonic Bone Scalpel (UBS) in thoracic spinal stenosis (TSS) in comparison to traditional technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 55 patients who had undergone conventional surgery (Group A) are compared with 45 patients of UBS (Group B) in TSS. The primary outcome measure of Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score (m JOA) with neurological complications and dural injury were assessed. Secondary outcome measures of total blood loss (TBL), time duration of surgery (ORT) and length of hospital stay (LHS) were analysed. Results: The pre-operative mJOA score 5.00(4.00-6.00) in the group A and 5.00(4.00-6.00) in the group B improved to 7.00(7.00-8.00) in the group A and 9.00(9.00-10.00) in the group B, respectively (P

Abstract As an alternate for the conventional glass-based pH sensor which is associated with problems like fragile nature, alkaline error, and potential drift, the development of a new redox-sensitive pH probe-modified electrode that could show potential, current-drift and surface-fouling free voltammetric pH sensing is a demanding research interest, recently. Herein, we report a substituted carbazole-quinone (Car-HQ) based new redox-active pH-sensitive probe that contains benzyl and bromo-substituents, immobilized multiwalled carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon (GCE/MWCNT@Car-HQ) and screen-printed three-in-one (SPE/MWCNT@Car-HQ) electrodes for selective, surface-fouling free pH sensor application. This new system showed a well-defined surface-confined redox peak at an apparent standard electrode potential, E o′ = − 0.160 V versus Ag/AgCl with surface-excess value, Γ = 47 n mol cm−2 in pH 7 phosphate buffer solution. When tested with various electroactive chemicals and biochemicals such as cysteine, hydrazine, NADH, uric acid, and ascorbic acid, MWCNT@Car-HQ showed an unaltered redox-peak potential and current values without mediated oxidation/reduction behavior unlike the conventional hydroquinone, anthraquinone and other redox mediators based voltammetry sensors with serious electrocatalytic effects and in turn potential and current drifts. A strong π–π interaction, nitrogen-atom assisted surface orientation and C–C bond formation on the graphitic structure of MWCNT are the plausible reasons for stable and selective voltammetric pH sensing application of MWCNT@Car-HQ system. Using a programed/in-built three-in-one screen printed compatible potentiostat system, voltammetric pH sensing of 3 μL sample of urine, saliva, and orange juice samples with pH values comparable to that of milliliter volume-based pH-glass electrode measurements has been demonstrated.

A potential therapeutic strategy to treat conditions brought on by the aberrant production of a disease-causing protein is emerging for targeted protein breakdown using the PROTACs technology. Few medications now in use are tiny, component-based and utilize occupancy-driven pharmacology (MOA), which inhibits protein function for a short period of time to temporarily alter it. By utilizing an event-driven MOA, the proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) technology introduces a revolutionary tactic. Small-molecule-based heterobifunctional PROTACs hijack the ubiquitin–proteasome system to trigger the degradation of the target protein. The main challenge PROTAC’s development facing now is to find potent, tissue- and cell-specific PROTAC compounds with favorable drug-likeness and standard safety measures. The ways to increase the efficacy and selectivity of PROTACs are the main focus of this review. In this review, we have highlighted the most important discoveries related to the degradation of proteins by PROTACs, new targeted approaches to boost proteolysis’ effectiveness and development, and promising future directions in medicine.

Extracellular vesicles (ECVs) have been abandoned as bio-inspired drug delivery systems (DDS) in the biomedical field. ECVs have a natural ability to cross over extracellular and intracellular barriers, making them superior to manufactured nanoparticles. Additionally, they have the ability to move beneficial biomolecules among far-flung bodily cells. These advantages and the accomplishment of favorable in vivo results convincingly show the value of ECVs in medication delivery. The usage of ECVs is constantly being improved, as it might be difficult to develop a consistent biochemical strategy that is in line with their useful clinical therapeutic uses. Extracellular vesicles (ECVs) have the potential to enhance the therapy of diseases. Imaging technologies, particularly radiolabelled imaging, have been exploited for non-invasive tracking to better understand their in vivo activity.

Relatively little work has focused on why we are motivated to learn words. In adults, recent experiments have shown that intrinsic reward signals accompany successful word learning from context. In addition, the experience of reward facilitated long-term memory for words. In adolescence, developmental changes are seen in reward and motivation systems as well as in reading and language systems. Here, in the face of this developmental change, we ask whether adolescents experience reward from word learning, and how the reward and memory benefit seen in adults is modulated by age. We used a naturalistic reading paradigm, which involved extracting novel word meanings from sentence context without the need for explicit feedback. By exploring ratings of enjoyment during the learning phase, as well as recognition memory for words a day later, we assessed whether adolescents show the same reward and learning patterns as adults. We tested 345 children between the ages of 10-18 (N > 84 in each 2-year age-band) using this paradigm. We found evidence for our first prediction: children aged 10-18 report greater enjoyment for successful word learning. However, we did not find evidence for age-related change in this developmental period, or memory benefits. This work gives us greater insight into the process of language acquisition and sets the stage for further investigations of intrinsic reward in typical and atypical development.

This qualitative study examined educational professionals' experiences including students with extensive support needs (ESN) in general education settings. Data were collected from 18 education professionals, including 5 special education teachers, 5 paraeducators, 4 administrators, and 4 general education teachers. The researcher used semi-structured interviews and analyzed them using thematic coding. The findings showed that the significant factors influencing successful inclusion were the belief systems of educational professionals, the number of general education classes available for inclusion, selective data collection by educators, superficial inclusion of students, the critical role of paraeducators, and interpersonal relationships among parents and educators. Recommendations included using multiple data collection methods, documenting student work in inclusive settings, revamping the paraeducator hiring and training process, increasing collaboration between general and special education teachers, expanding the number of classrooms available for ESN students, training general education teachers to teach all students, and challenging deficit thinking in teacher education programs.

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and Work Based Assessments (WBAs) are the mainstays of assessing clinical competency in health professions' education. Underpinned by the extrapolation inference in Kane's Validity Framework, the purpose of this study is to determine whether OSCEs translate to real life performance by comparing students' OSCE performance to their performance in real-life (as a WBA) using the same clinical scenario, and to understand factors that affect students' performance. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach where a grade comparison between students' performance in their OSCE and WBA was performed. Students were third year pharmacy undergraduates on placement at a community pharmacy in 2022. The WBA was conducted by a simulated patient, unbeknownst to students and indistinguishable from a genuine patient, visiting the pharmacy asking for health advice. The simulated patient was referred to as a 'mystery shopper' and the process to 'mystery shopping' in this manuscript. Community pharmacy is an ideal setting for real-time observation and mystery shopping as staff can be accessed without appointment. The students' provision of care and clinical knowledge was assessed by the mystery shopper using the same clinical checklist the student was assessed from in the OSCE. Students who had the WBA conducted were then invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences in both settings. Overall, 92 mystery shopper (WBA) visits with students were conducted and 36 follow-up interviews were completed. The median WBA score was 41.7% [IQR 28.3] and significantly lower compared to the OSCE score 80.9% [IQR 19.0] in all participants (p < 0.001). Interviews revealed students knew they did not perform as well in the WBA compared to their OSCE, but reflected that they still need OSCEs to prepare them to manage real-life patients. Many students related their performance to how they perceived their role in OSCEs versus WBAs, and that OSCEs allowed them more autonomy to manage the patient as opposed to an unfamiliar workplace. As suggested by the activity theory, the performance of the student can be driven by their motivation which differed in the two contexts.

Chronic diabetes extensively complicates the glucose metabolism to onset and progress the complication. Concurrently, several contemporary medicines, especially organo-metallic formulations, are emerging to treat hyperglycemia. The current study aims to emphasize the gold nanoparticles (GNPs) potential for glucose metabolism regulation in Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to detect the mRNA expression of Glucose transporters 2 (GLUT2), Glucokinase (GK) and Glucose 6 Phosphatase (G-6-Pase). The study shows remarkable results such as the prognostic effect of GNPs in reinforcing the repression of enzyme complex G-6-Pase about 13.3-fold when compared to diabetes control. Also, molecular docking studies showed significant inhibition of G-6-Pase by the terpenoid ligands with alpha and beta amyrin from leaf extract of Couroupita guianensis. Thus the study explored the novel mechanism of G-6-Pase downregulated by GNPs intervention that majorly contributes to the regulation of circulatory glucose homeostasis during diabetes.

Objective: Preliminary aim of this research work focuses on testing the efficacy of silver nanoparticles synthesised using water soluble polysaccharides extracted from seaweeds against pathogenic fish bacteria. The emergence of various virulence pathogens during the culturing period leads to mass mortality and influence the loss of aquaculture production. Methods: The intervention of nanotechnology in the field of aquaculture improves the growth and immunity of aquatic animals when the part of nanomaterials mixed with fish feed. Sometimes the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles prepared from the seaweed polysaccharide play a vital role in the disease controlling strategies in aquaculture farming. The nanoparticle formation and confirmation was charecterized by Ultra Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Results and Conclusion: Biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles have been used as an alternative method for commercial antibiotics to control such pathogenic infection with 70–80% of survival rate. Polysaccharides of Caulerpa racemosa was used as a reducing agent in this present study. Particularly the phytochemicals are involved in the silver salt reduction process. Total polyphenol, total flavonoids, total antioxidant, hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and DPPH was found to be 12.32 mg/g, 18.44 mg/g, 38.12 mg/g equivalence, 82.2% and 49.05% respectively. Biologically synthesised AgNps capable of preventing the Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in tilapia, it was proved by in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities. Present study provided the ample achievement and these findings found to be effective in controlling the Pseudomonas infection in tilapia fishes.

INTRODUCTION: To analyse the results of Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) operated by Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy (PTELD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is a retrospective series of 15 patients operated by PTELD. Bladder dysfunction was classified as incomplete CES (CESI) and complete CES retention (CESR). Bladder / motor recovery rate and its timing, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analogue Score (VAS), patient satisfaction index, and sexual dysfunction were used to measure the outcome objectively. Additionally, in CESR patients, post-void residual (PVR) urine was measured by sonography. Complications and technical problems were noted. RESULTS: There were ten patients of CESI and five patients of CESR. The average follow-up was 20.33(12.05) months. Bladder symptoms recovery was 100%, and motor recovery was 80%. VAS for back pain recovered to 0.53(0.52) from 8(2.39). VAS for leg pain recovered to 0.13(0.35) from 9.20(1.32). ODI improved to 6.07(2.85) from 77.52(13.20). The time to the recovery of bladder function was 1.47(1.55) days. All CESR patient’s abnormal PVR urine was normalised at five weeks post-operative. No complications were reported. However, five technical executional problems occurred. CONCLUSION: PTELD can be considered for CES treatment due to its substantial and quick recovery advantages. However, more evidence support is needed to make it a practice recommendation.

We report on multiple excitonic resonances in bilayer tungsten diselenide (BL-WSe2) stacked at different angles and demonstrate the use of the stacking angle to control the occurrence of these excitations. BL-WSe2 with different stacking angles were fabricated by stacking chemical vapour deposited monolayers and analysed using photoluminescence measurements in the temperature range 300–100 K. At reduced temperatures, several excitonic features were observed and the occurrences of these exitonic resonances were found to be stacking angle dependent. Our results indicate that by controlling the stacking angle, it is possible to excite or quench higher order excitations to tune the excitonic flux in optoelectronic devices. We attribute the presence/absence of multiple higher order excitons to the strength of interlayer coupling and doping effect from SiO2/Si substrate. Understanding interlayer excitations will help in engineering excitonic devices and give an insight into the physics of many-body dynamics.

Giridhara R Babu,1 R Deepa,1 Melissa Glenda Lewis,2 Eunice Lobo,1 Anjaly Krishnan,1 Yamuna Ana,1 Jodie G Katon,3,4 Daniel A Enquobahrie,5 Onyebuchi A Arah,6–8 Sanjay Kinra,9 GVS Murthy2,10 1Indian Institute of Public Health-Bangalore, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bangalore, India; 2Indian Institute of Public Health-Hyderabad, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Hyderabad, India; 3Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA; 4Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 5Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 6Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; 7California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; 8UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 9Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology , London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and, University College London Hospital, London, UK; 10International Centre for Eye Health, Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UKCorrespondence: Giridhara R BabuIndian Institute of Public Health-Bangalore, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bangalore, India, Besides Leprosy Hospital, 1st Cross, Magadi Road, Bangalore 560023, IndiaEmail giridhar@iiphh.orgPurpose: Neonates born to mothers with obesity or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an increased chance of various metabolic disorders later in life. In India, it is unclear whether maternal obesity or GDM is related to offspring adiposity. We aimed to understand the independent effect of maternal obesity and GDM with neonatal adiposity and whether GDM has a mediating effect between maternal obesity and neonatal adiposity.Methods: We recruited a cohort of 1120 women (between April 2016 and February 2019) from the public hospitals in Bangalore, India, who voluntarily agreed to participate and provided written informed consent. The primary outcome was neonatal adiposity, defined as the sum of skinfold thickness >85th percentile. Exposure included maternal obesity, defined as >90th percentile of skinfold thickness. GDM, the potential mediator, was classified using the World Health Organization criteria by oral glucose tolerance test. Binary logistic regression was applied to test the effect of maternal obesity and GDM on neonatal adiposity, adjusting for potential confounders. We used Paramed command in STATA version 14 for analyzing mediating effects.Results: We found that maternal obesity (odds ratio (OR)=2.16, 95% CI 1.46, 3.18) and GDM (OR=2.21, 95% CI1.38, 3.52) have an independent effect on neonatal adiposity. GDM significantly mediates 25.2% of the total effect between maternal obesity and neonatal adiposity, (natural direct effect OR = 1.16 95% CI 1.04, 1.30) with significant direct effect of maternal obesity (natural direct effect OR = 1.90 95% CI 1.16, 3.10) and significant total effect (OR=2.20 95% CI 1.35, 3.58).Conclusion: We showed that maternal obesity and GDM are independently associated with offspring adiposity. Also, GDM mediates the association of maternal obesity on adiposity in children. Interventions focused on obesity prevention in women, and effective screening and management of GDM may contribute to reducing childhood obesity in India.Keywords: mediation effects, skinfold thickness, GDM, obesity in pregnancy, childhood obesity

A rapid and increasing spread of COVID-19 pandemic disease has been perceived worldwide in 2020. The current COVID-19 disease outbreak is due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of coronavirus that has spike protein on the envelope. The spike protein of the virus binds with the ACE-2 receptor of the human lungs surface for entering into the host. Therefore, the blocking of viral entry into the host by targeting the spike protein has been suggested to be a valid strategy to treat COVID-19. The patients of COVID-19 were found to be asymptomatic, cold, mild to severe respiratory illness, and leading to death. The severe illness has been noted mainly in old age people, cardiovascular disease patients, and respiratory disease patients. However, the long-term health effects due to COVID-19 are not yet known. Recently, the vaccines were authorized to protect from COVID-19. However, the researchers have put an effort to discover suitable targets and newer medications in the form of small molecules or peptides, based on in-silico methods and synthetic approaches. This manuscript describes the current perspectives of the causative agent, diagnostic procedure, therapeutic targets, treatment, clinical trials, and development of potential clinical candidates of COVID-19. The study will be useful to identify the potential newer medications for the treatment of COVID-19.

Sodium, an element needed for the normal human physiology is known to be associated with high blood pressure and other consequences if consumed in excess. The assessment of knowledge and behavior related to sodium that is consumed in the form of salt plays an important role in the control of cardiovascular diseases. To control the intake of sodium, dietary sources of sodium need to be identified. To address this, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 20 to 59 years in north India, where knowledge, attitude, and behavior questionnaire given by the World Health Organization and 24-h dietary recall were used. The mean age of the participants was 34.5 years, and the majority of them were homemakers. Approximately, 80% of the participants believed that high salt diet causes serious health problems, and only 5% of the participants were aware of the existence of a recommendation for daily salt intake. Less than 20% of the participants took measures to control their salt intake. Vegetable-based dishes were found to be the major contributors to the daily salt intake followed by pulse-based and cereal-based dishes. This is because of the high quantity in which they are consumed. Food cooked at home contributed to 90% of the daily salt intake. To control the salt intake, we should cut- down the discretionary salt use. Dietary advice should be customized to the individual, and the family physician plays an important role in this. Behavioral change is the need of the hour to control the epidemic of non-communicable diseases.

Aim: This study aims to compare the cleaning efficacy of root canal walls using two rotary single file systems: self-adjusting file (SAF) and WaveOne (WO). Materials and Methods: Forty extracted human premolars with similar range of canal curvature were selected, decoronated, working length determined and roots were divided into two groups of 20 samples each: Group I - SAF and Group II - WO. All root canals were irrigated with 3% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).The roots were sectioned longitudinally and subjected to scanning electron microscopic examination. The amount of debris and smear layer was evaluated using five score index at coronal, middle and apical third levels. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test and significance was set at a P < 0.05. Results: Statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in cleaning the apical third. Group I (SAF) showed better canal cleanliness compared to Group II (WO) in the apical third. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, SAF in combination with 3% NaOCl and 17% EDTA irrigating solution had significantly better cleaning efficacy in the apical third of root canals when compared to WO rotary file system.

In this paper, we propose an activity detection system using a 24 × 32 resolution infrared array sensor placed on the ceiling. We first collect the data at different resolutions (i.e., 24 × 32, 12 × 16, and 6 × 8) and apply the advanced deep learning (DL) techniques of Super-Resolution (SR) and denoising to enhance the quality of the images. We then classify the images/sequences of images depending on the activities the subject is performing using a hybrid deep learning model combining a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). We use data augmentation to improve the training of the neural networks by incorporating a wider variety of samples. The process of data augmentation is performed by a Conditional Generative Adversarial Network (CGAN). By enhancing the images using SR, removing the noise, and adding more training samples via data augmentation, our target is to improve the classification accuracy of the neural network. Through experiments, we show that employing these deep learning techniques to low-resolution noisy infrared images leads to a noticeable improvement in performance. The classification accuracy improved from 78.32% to 84.43% (for images with 6 × 8 resolution), and from 90.11% to 94.54% (for images with 12 × 16 resolution) when we used the CNN and CNN + LSTM networks, respectively.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a fast-paced epidemic in late 2019 which is disrupting life-saving immunization services. SARS-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible virus and an infectious disease that has caused fear among people across the world. The worldwide emergence and rapid expansion of SARS-CoV-2 emphasizes the need for exploring innovative therapeutic approaches to combat SARS-CoV-2. The efficacy of some antiviral drugs such as remdesivir, favipiravir, umifenovir, etc., are still tested against SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, there is a large global effort to develop vaccines for the protection against COVID-19. Because vaccines seem the best solution to control the pandemic but time is required for its development, pre-clinical/clinical trials, approval from FDA and scale-up. The nano-based approach is another promising approach to combat COVID-19 owing to unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials. Peptide based vaccines emerged as promising vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2. The study emphasizes the current therapeutic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 and some of the potential candidates for SARS-CoV-2 treatment which are still under clinical studies for their effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. Overall, it is of high importance to mention that clinical trials are necessary for confirming promising drug candidates and effective vaccines and the safety profile of the new components must be evaluated before translation of in vitro studies for implementation in clinical use.

Photophysical studies of resorcinol-based family of acridinedione (ADR) dyes with a glycoprotein, ovalbumin (OVA) were carried out in water. Addition of OVA to photoinduced electron transfer (PET) based dye (ADR1) resulted in a considerable red shift of emission maxima with a slight increase in the fluorescence intensity, whereas no significant variation in the fluorescence intensity or shift of emission maxima results in the case of a non-PET dye. Fluorescence lifetime studies illustrates that the PET lifetime component enhances by several fold on the introduction of OVA which is accompanied with the formation of multi lifetime components in the aqueous phase of varying distribution as observed in well-known globular protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). Interestingly, a decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of non-PET dye (ADR2) with the evolution of more than one distinct lifetime species results with OVA. This behaviour ascertains the presence of at least two different micro environment of dye residing in aqueous phase on the addition of OVA. The introduction of OVA induces the formation of several distinguishable micro environments around the close vicinity of the dye molecule that are subjected to various binding forces. Further, the dye bound to several amino acid residues through conventional and non-conventional hydrogen-bonding interactions accompanied with hydrophobic interactions, pi-pi, pi-alkyl interactions and weak van der Waals forces also coexist. The variation in binding energies of various dye-OVA conformations are established from molecular docking (MD) techniques. The combination of docking techniques validates and authenticates the origin of multi decay characteristics of dye-OVA complex that correlates dye bound to different binding sites in protein. A combined approach of fluorescence techniques along with MD methods and Isothermal Calorimetric Titration (ITC) studies provides an excellent approach in determining the nature of interaction and binding stability of dye-protein system in a micro heterogeneous environment.