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Abstract Food packaging reinforced with Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with enhanced prerequisite film-forming and biodegradable traits was prepared to augment fresh food storage. Pure and tailored metal (Zinc, Copper, and Selenium) doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized and analyzed through multiple characterization techniques (optical spectra, XRD patterns (X-Ray Diffraction), Dynamic Light Scattering, and Scanning Electron Microscopy). The synthesized nanoparticles were tested for their Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations, antimicrobial potential against common lethal food pathogens, and cytotoxicity. Compared to Cu- and Se-doped nanoparticles, Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles displayed the most potent antimicrobial activity with insignificant cytotoxicity and were incorporated into the food packaging materials. The developed nano-reinforced food packaging efficaciously augmented the freshness of plums (Oemleria cerasiformis) for 16 days (42 ± 2 °C). The physicomechanical characterization of the nano-reinforced packaging establishes its utility in food packaging applications. The developed biodegradable packaging undergoes complete decomposition within 12 days of storage in natural soil.

Highlights: This is the first empirical study to replicate Jadad algorithm assessments to evaluate discordance across systematic reviews. In 62% (13/21) of cases, we were unable to replicate the Jadad algorithm assessment and ultimately chose a different systematic review than the authors. When assessing systematic reviews using the Jadad algorithm, some steps of the Jadad algorithm were vague in description, making it difficult to operationalise, interpret, and use. The Jadad algorithm has several limitations as it does not account for the last literature search of the systematic review and publication recency of included trials. To assess discordance in the absence of an algorithm, we recommend decision makers consider relevance (objectives that most closely resemble their clinical question), recency (dates of search), comprehensiveness (most trials), and risk of bias (lowest risk of bias SR) when choosing one systematic review across multiple.

Abstract Purpose Dim light vision disturbances (DLD) comprise a wide range of symptoms affecting the quality of vision at low illumination including glare, halos, and starbursts. This exploratory study investigated 1.0% phentolamine mesylate ophthalmic solution (PMOS) as a treatment to improve vision and image quality for patients with DLD. Methods In this placebo-controlled, randomized, double-masked clinical trial, 24 adult patients with severe DLD were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive either one dose of PMOS or placebo. Subjects were eligible if they reported experiencing severe night vision difficulty that was not eliminated by distance spectacle correction and scored ≥0.3 log units below the normal range of contrast sensitivity assessed under mesopic conditions with glare at ≥2 spatial frequencies. Key efficacy outcomes were change from baseline in pupil diameter, contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity. Safety measures including intraocular pressure, conjunctival hyperemia, and systemic effects were also assessed. Results Eight subjects were randomized to placebo (63% female; mean age 47 years) and 16 were randomized to PMOS (75% female; mean age 42 years). Mean (SD) pupil diameter of PMOS-treated subjects decreased significantly − 1.3 mm (0 to − 2.8 mm) with p

This review explores the research work on diverse cellulase purification approaches. Cellulase is an industrial biocatalyst applied to cellulosic breakdown. This biocatalyst has numerous applications in paper, food, fermentation, detergent, pharmaceuticals, textile, and distilling industries. Purification is an important prerequisite for any biocatalyst before the development of any enzyme-based effective applications. Cellulase purification is a multistep process selected on the basis of its biochemical and biophysical characteristics such as solubility, charge, size, and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity. The success of any purification strategy employed for enzyme is evaluated on the basis of its purification fold, recovery percentage, reproducibility, economical feasibility, and time. Mostly, the pre-purification strategies involve fractionation, precipitation and ultrafiltration to attain high enzyme concentrate at the start of the purification process. The highly specific, secondary purification is achieved via chromatographic techniques, such as gel-filtration, ion exchange, adsorption, and affinity chromatography having different types of stationary and mobile phases. Certain unique purification techniques like isoelectric focusing, and electroendosmotic preparative electrophoresis have been also used. This review elaborates about various purification techniques and approaches available for the cellulase enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biohydrogen is a promising low-carbon energy source due to its high energy density, and emerging technologies have been studied to achieve highly efficient and competitive H2 production. The biological hydrogen production involves microbe-assisted bioconversion, either in the presence or in the absence of light, called photo-fermentation or dark fermentation, respectively. Biohydrogen production using fermentative conversion of organic carbon in the absence of light, i.e., dark fermentation, has gained great interest during the last few decades. The mechanistic understanding of various metabolic pathways involved in dark fermentative hydrogen production is well understood and reviewed here. Further, the hydrogen yield is affected by a number of factors during the fermentation of organic substrates by either pure or mixed microbial cultures, and some of the pertinent factors have been discussed in this review. This review aims to present the current state of knowledge on the dark fermentation process, focusing on the use of waste materials as substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jay S Pepose,1,2 Paul J Hartman,3 Harvey B DuBiner,4 Marc A Abrams,5 Robert J Smyth-Medina,6 Sayoko E Moroi,7 Alan R Meyer,8 Mina P Sooch,8 Reda M Jaber,8 Konstantinos Charizanis,8 Seth A Klapman,8 Arin T Amin,8 Jonah E Yousif,8 Eliot S Lazar,9 Paul M Karpecki,10 Charles B Slonim,11 Marguerite B McDonald12 1Pepose Vision Institute, St. Louis, MO, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; 3Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; 4Clayton Eye Center, Morrow, GA, USA; 5Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; 6North Valley Eye Medical Group, Mission Hills, CA, USA; 7The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; 8Ocuphire Pharma Inc, Farmington Hills, MI, USA; 9elCON Medical, Buffalo, NY, USA; 10Kentucky College of Optometry, University of Pikeville, Pikeville, KY, USA; 11Oculos Development Services, LLC, Tampa, FL, USA; 12Department of Ophthalmology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Konstantinos CharizanisOcuphire Pharma, Inc., 37000 Grand River Ave, Farmington, MI 48335, USATel +1 (352) 328 9117Email kcharizanis@ocuphire.comPurpose: Phentolamine mesylate ophthalmic solution (PMOS), applied to the eye topically, was shown previously to have beneficial effects in patients with dim light vision disturbances (DLD), including decreased pupil diameter (PD), improved best-corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA), as well as lower intraocular pressure (IOP). The ORION-1 trial evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of PMOS in a glaucomatous, presbyopic population.Patients and Methods: In this randomized, double-masked, multi-center, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose Phase 2b trial, 39 patients with elevated IOP were randomized to receive one evening dose of study medication or placebo for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was mean change in diurnal IOP, and the key secondary outcome measures included changes in PD, distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA), and conjunctival hyperemia.Results: Use of 1% PMOS did not lead to a statistically significant decrease in diurnal IOP compared to placebo (P = 0.89) but trended toward a greater decrease in patients with lower IOP baselines. PMOS produced a statistically significant mean 20% PD reduction under both photopic and mesopic conditions that was sustained for 36 hours post-dosing. A statistically significant number of patients with PMOS compared to placebo demonstrated ≥ 1 line of improvement in photopic DCNVA at day 8 (P = 0.0018), day 15 (P = 0.0072), and day 16 (P = 0.0163), with a trend for 2- and 3-line improvements at all time points. There was no statistical difference in conjunctival hyperemia compared to placebo.Conclusion: Although mean IOP was not lowered significantly, daily evening dosing of 1% PMOS was found to be well tolerated with no daytime conjunctival redness and demonstrated improvement in DCNVA with sustained PD reduction in a glaucomatous and presbyopic population. Smaller pupil size can have beneficial effects in improving symptoms of presbyopia and DLD, which will be the focus of further studies.Keywords: IOP, presbyopia, night vision disturbances, dim light vision disturbances, pupil diameter, ORION-1

Introduction An increasing growth of systematic reviews (SRs) presents notable challenges for decision-makers seeking to answer clinical questions. In 1997, an algorithm was created by Jadad to assess discordance in results across SRs on the same question. Our study aims to (1) replicate assessments done in a sample of studies using the Jadad algorithm to determine if the same SR would have been chosen, (2) evaluate the Jadad algorithm in terms of utility, efficiency and comprehensiveness, and (3) describe how authors address discordance in results across multiple SRs.Methods and analysis We will use a database of 1218 overviews (2000–2020) created from a bibliometric study as the basis of our search for studies assessing discordance (called discordant reviews). This bibliometric study searched MEDLINE (Ovid), Epistemonikos and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for overviews. We will include any study using Jadad (1997) or another method to assess discordance. The first 30 studies screened at the full-text stage by two independent reviewers will be included. We will replicate the authors’ Jadad assessments. We will compare our outcomes qualitatively and evaluate the differences between our Jadad assessment of discordance and the authors’ assessment.Ethics and dissemination No ethics approval was required as no human subjects were involved. In addition to publishing in an open-access journal, we will disseminate evidence summaries through formal and informal conferences, academic websites, and across social media platforms. This is the first study to comprehensively evaluate and replicate Jadad algorithm assessments of discordance across multiple SRs.

Background: There is high inter-individual variability in clozapine metabolism due to genetic and non-genetic differences. Patient-specific factors such as smoking, inflammation indicated by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), and certain concurrent medications have a significant influence on clozapine metabolism. Aim: To assess which patient-specific factors best explain variability in clozapine metabolism estimated by clozapine concentration to dose (C/D) ratios. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis using electronic medical data was conducted on 172 inpatients at the BC Psychosis Program. Patients with normal renal and liver function were included if they were on clozapine and had at least one steady-state plasma concentration. The degree of influence of each factor on the variability of clozapine metabolism in the entire cohort and subgroups stratified by fluvoxamine use was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis of C/D ratios. Results: Model fit testing showed that the entire cohort model accounts for 52.7% of C/D ratio variability, while the no fluvoxamine and fluvoxamine models accounted for 40.8% and 43.8%. In the entire cohort (n = 172), fluvoxamine use explained the highest variance, and C/D ratios were higher by 30.6% on average. The second strongest predictor was elevated CRP > 10 mg/L, and C/D ratios were higher by 22.9% on average. Subsequently, obesity, nonsmoker status, and female sex explained a significant but modest proportion of variance. Among participants on fluvoxamine (n = 58), only fluvoxamine dose was associated with an increase, and for every 25 mg increase in dose, C/D ratios increased by 5% on average. Conclusion: In a clinical population, this study replicated the relationship between reduced rate of clozapine metabolism and the use of fluvoxamine, elevated CRP, obesity, nonsmoking status, and female sex; and the magnitude of the effects were large enough to be clinically relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsaicin is a potent agonist of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel and is a common component found in the fruits of the genus Capsicum plants, which have been known to humanity and consumed in food for approximately 7000–9000 years. The fruits of Capsicum plants, such as chili pepper, have been long recognized for their high nutritional value. Additionally, capsaicin itself has been proposed to exhibit vasodilatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and antinociceptive properties. However, a growing body of evidence reveals a vasoconstrictory potential of capsaicin acting via the vascular TRPV1 channel and suggests that unnecessary high consumption of capsaicin may cause severe consequences, including vasospasm and myocardial infarction in people with underlying inflammatory conditions. This review focuses on vascular TRPV1 channels that are endogenously expressed in both vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells and emphasizes the role of inflammation in sensitizing the TRPV1 channel to capsaicin activation. Tilting the balance between the beneficial vasodilatory action of capsaicin and its unwanted vasoconstrictive effects may precipitate adverse outcomes such as vasospasm and myocardial infarction, especially in the presence of proinflammatory mediators.

Abstract Catecholase (EC 1.10.3.1), an oxidoreductase enzyme is a key member of polyphenol oxidase family which catalyze the degradation of catechol. This enzyme possesses vast applications in diverse areas and is found in bacteria, fungi, mushrooms, higher plants, arthropods, amphibians and mammals. Catechol, a phenolic compound, is used as a starting material in the synthesis of various industrial compounds such as inhibitors, antioxidants, pesticides etc. The release of this phenolic compound in the environment causes toxicity to both flora and fauna. In the present studies, emphasis has been laid on isolation, screening and characterization of catechol degrading bacterium coupled with synthesis of catecholase enzyme. Further, the selected isolated strain was phenotypically characterized and was found to be member of genus Pseudomonas. Among all the isolates, BSC-6 was found as best isolate with maximum extracellular catecholase activity of 152.32 IU/L obtained after scale up studies. The herein synthesized bacterial catecholase may be employed for wide applications particularly in bioremediation of phenol enriched polluted sites.

This 2020 Special Issue “TRPC channels” of Cells was dedicated to commemorating the 25th anniversary of discovery of the Transient Receptor Potential Canonical (TRPC) channel subfamily [...]

Twenty-five years ago, the first mammalian Transient Receptor Potential Canonical (TRPC) channel was cloned, opening the vast horizon of the TRPC field. Today, we know that there are seven TRPC channels (TRPC1–7). TRPCs exhibit the highest protein sequence similarity to the Drosophila melanogaster TRP channels. Similar to Drosophila TRPs, TRPCs are localized to the plasma membrane and are activated in a G-protein-coupled receptor-phospholipase C-dependent manner. TRPCs may also be stimulated in a store-operated manner, via receptor tyrosine kinases, or by lysophospholipids, hypoosmotic solutions, and mechanical stimuli. Activated TRPCs allow the influx of Ca2+ and monovalent alkali cations into the cytosol of cells, leading to cell depolarization and rising intracellular Ca2+ concentration. TRPCs are involved in the continually growing number of cell functions. Furthermore, mutations in the TRPC6 gene are associated with hereditary diseases, such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The most important recent breakthrough in TRPC research was the solving of cryo-EM structures of TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, and TRPC6. These structural data shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying TRPCs’ functional properties and propelled the development of new modulators of the channels. This review provides a historical overview of the major advances in the TRPC field focusing on the role of gene knockouts and pharmacological tools.

Indian state Punjab produces 160 lakh tones of paddy every year. More than this quantity of paddy, straw is also produced which is not properly utilized. Paddy is burnt in the farmer’s fields itself, which produces lot of smoke and atmospheric pollution. Farmers have their own difficulty for burning this valuable straw as they have to vacate the fields for the next crop. Biogas production is one alternative for the individual farmer, for individual village or on the regional basis. In our opinion, it is possible to digest paddy straw anaerobically for biogas production and the digested humus would be utilized as crop manure. Anaerobic digestion of crop waste cannot be done by conventional anaerobic process for biogas production because of the floating characteristics of paddy straw in water. New process of anaerobic digestion has to be followed with small quantity of water to avoid floating of paddy straw. This process is commonly known as dry fermentation. This technique is well known in United States, Taiwan, German and Sri Lanka. In these countries, steel containers are being used as digester for anaerobic digestion. Digester of steel is ideal but the cost involved is very huge. Attempts have been made at PAU to construct masonry structure as digester but lot of difficulties were being faced to make it gas tight. The PAU has found suitable method to make the digester strong and gas tight. The life of structure will be more than 15 years. The advantage of the masonry structure is that the whole structure will be underground on which cold would have little effect in winter. This process of Dry Fermentation is a batch process, once the digester is loaded and activated, would produce sufficient gas for a period of 3 - 4 months. Therefore, 2 sets of digester are required to meet the whole year demand.

Food packaging reinforced with Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with enhanced prerequisite film-forming and biodegradable traits was prepared to augment fresh food storage. Pure and tailored metal (Zinc, Copper, and Selenium) doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized and analyzed through multiple characterization techniques (optical spectra, XRD patterns (X-Ray Diffraction), Dynamic Light Scattering, and Scanning Electron Microscopy). The synthesized nanoparticles were tested for their Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations, antimicrobial potential against common lethal food pathogens, and cytotoxicity. Compared to Cu- and Se-doped nanoparticles, Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles displayed the most potent antimicrobial activity with insignificant cytotoxicity and were incorporated into the food packaging materials. The developed nano-reinforced food packaging efficaciously augmented the freshness of plums (Oemleria cerasiformis) for 16 days (42 ± 2 °C). The physicomechanical characterization of the nano-reinforced packaging establishes its utility in food packaging applications. The developed biodegradable packaging undergoes complete decomposition within 12 days of storage in natural soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present work was to study the influence of multiple bioprocess parameters for the maximum production of lipase from Pseudomonas sp. BWS-5. The culture reached the stationary phase of growth after 36h of incubation when the maximum lipase production was obtained at flask level. The different media components such as carbon sources, nitrogen sources, trace elements and process parameters such as the pH of the medium, temperature and time of incubation, agitation/stationary conditions, etc. were optimized at flask level and at bioreactor level. The maximum enzyme production of 298 IU/mL was obtained with the use of simple medium with pH 6.5 containing glucose (1 %, w/v), peptone (3 %, w/v) and KCl (0.05 %, w/v) after 30h of incubation at 37°C under agitation (200 rpm) conditions with 0.75 vvm of air supply.

Introduction: The exponential growth of published systematic reviews (SRs) presents challenges for decision makers seeking to answer clinical, public health or policy questions. In 1997, an algorithm was created by Jadad et al. to choose the best SR across multiple. Our study aims to replicate author assessments using the Jadad algorithm to determine: (i) if we chose the same SR as the authors; and (ii) if we reach the same results.Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Epistemonikos, and Cochrane Database of SRs. We included any study using the Jadad algorithm. We used consensus building strategies to operationalise the algorithm and to ensure a consistent approach to interpretation.Results: We identified 21 studies that used the Jadad algorithm to choose one or more SRs. In 62% (13/21) of cases, we were unable to replicate the Jadad assessment and ultimately chose a different SR than the authors. Overall, 18 out of the 21 (86%) independent Jadad assessments agreed in direction of the findings despite 13 having chosen a different SR.Conclusions: Our results suggest that the Jadad algorithm is not reproducible between users as there are no prescriptive instructions about how to operationalise the algorithm. In the absence of a validated algorithm, we recommend that healthcare providers, policy makers, patients and researchers address conflicts between review findings by choosing the SR(s) with meta-analysis of RCTs that most closely resemble their clinical, public health, or policy question, are the most recent, comprehensive (i.e. number of included RCTs), and at the lowest risk of bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Dim light vision disturbances (DLD) comprise a wide range of symptoms affecting the quality of vision at low illumination including glare, halos, and starbursts. This exploratory study investigated 1.0% phentolamine mesylate ophthalmic solution (PMOS) as a treatment to improve vision and image quality for patients with DLD.Methods: In this placebo-controlled, randomized, double-masked clinical trial, 24 adult patients with severe DLD were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive either one dose of PMOS or placebo. Subjects were eligible if they reported experiencing severe night vision difficulty that was not eliminated by distance spectacle correction and scored ≥0.3 log units below the normal range of contrast sensitivity assessed under mesopic conditions with glare at ≥2 spatial frequencies. Key efficacy outcomes were change from baseline in pupil diameter, contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity. Safety measures including intraocular pressure, conjunctival hyperemia, and systemic effects were also assessed.Results: Eight subjects were randomized to placebo (63% female; mean age 47 years) and 16 were randomized to PMOS (75% female; mean age 42 years). Mean (SD) pupil diameter of PMOS-treated subjects decreased significantly - 1.3 mm (0 to - 2.8 mm) with p < 0.0001. Mean contrast sensitivity with glare in PMOS-treated subjects improved significantly post-treatment at spatial frequencies 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree (p ≤ 0.03). PMOS also demonstrated improvements in the numbers of letters read for mesopic and photopic, high- and low-contrast visual acuity (LCVA). Importantly, a statistically greater proportion of PMOS-treated eyes registered mesopic LCVA 5 letter (69% vs. 31%, p = 0.029) and 10 letter (34% vs. 6%, p = 0.04) improvement, with a trend at 15 letters (19% vs. 0%, p = 0.16). PMOS was well tolerated with the only reported side effect being a mild increase in conjunctival hyperemia.Conclusion: PMOS was well tolerated and effectively reduced pupil size with improvements in contrast sensitivity and visual acuity in adults with severe DLD. Future Phase 3 studies should be conducted to further evaluate its potential to treat DLD.Trial Registration: The trial registration number is NCT04004507 (02/07/2019). Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fully integrated digital read/write channel for magnetic recording applications is described. The device employs partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) sequence detection when reading data to enhance bit error rate vs. signal-to-noise ratio performance. The sequence detector is designed to accept input pulses exhibiting four non-zero samples, sampling occurring once per channel bit time. Channel optimization is facilitated through the inclusion of sixty-two 8-bit registers. The device is fabricated in a 0.8 micron double-metal CMOS process and supports data rates as high as 64 Mbits/sec.

Salinity is a major abiotic stress responsible for yield loss in rice as it severely affects various yield contributing traits. Rice is categorised as salt sensitive crop and it is important to identify genomic regions associated to salinity tolerance. In the present study, association mapping was performed to investigate the functional relationship between microsatellite markers and salinity related traits in a set of 180 diverse rice accessions. Association analysis was carried out by employing mixed linear model (MLM) approach. Population structure analysis revealed four subgroups in entire study panel while the admixture level ranged from 0.7-57.2%. A total of 22 marker-trait associations were discovered and four marker-trait associations explained phenotypic variation (R2) greater than 10%. Furthermore, 7 markers were found close to the candidate genes loci. Several markers were significantly associated with more than one trait, suggesting pleiotropic effects. The phenotypic variation explained by associated markers ranged from 2.92 to 18.50%. Comparative genomic search revealed that associated markers were close to candidate genes which play significant role in signal transduction, metabolic pathways and transcription factor activity. The significant associations identified in the present study could be used to improve salt tolerance in rice with introgression of favourable alleles through marker assisted breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]