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The cover gas space is an inert isolation layer provided for sodium systems in sodium-cooled fast reactors. During normal reactor operation, sodium aerosols are generated continuously in the cover gas space. Understanding the complex dynamics of the evolution and transport of the aerosol is essential from the perspective of the reactor operation. Such assessments provide vital insights into deposition patterns of aerosols to the components mounted on the roof slab. In the present manuscript, the evolution and transport of aerosol in the cover gas space as well as in roof-slab annular gaps are studied in detail with the help of computational fluid dynamics tool. The present model is validated against the experimental data from the literature. There is good agreement between temperature variation, aerosol number and mass concentration across the cover gas height. Post validation, the study of thermal and aerosol transport in the full-scale reactor cover gas for a medium-sized reference reactor is carried out. It is observed that aerosol sizes greater than ∼31 μm are mostly concentrated near either the sodium pool surface, component wall or near the vessel boundary. It is found that the average mass concentration in the cover gas space is uniform (∼ 29 g/m3). However, the annular regions are found to have a non-uniform distribution of aerosols with heavier particles confined to the lower annular regions in wavy like patterns having the same Count Mean Diameter (CMD) as in the bulk cover gas space. The CMD in the top annular regions is ∼ 2 μm. Copyright © 2023 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria in Pregnancy (MiP) leading to morbidity and mortality is a major public health problem that poses significant risk to pregnant women and their fetus. To cope with this alarming situation, administration of Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) drugs to pregnant women as an intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) from 16 weeks of gestation is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. We conducted a comprehensive search of published articles related to MiP in last 10 years with predefined keywords or their synonyms. The mapping of malaria in pregnant women showed a prevalence rate up to 35% in many countries. Although IPTp-SP has been implemented in endemic regions since several years but the IPTp-SP coverage percentage vary from country to country and continue to remain below the target of 80%. Major reasons for low IPTp-SP involve gestational age at first prenatal visit, level of education, place of residence, knowledge of IPTp-SP benefits, and use of antenatal services. Several challenges including the emergence of septuple and octuple SP-resistant parasites is reported from many countries which make the prophylactic use of IPTp-SP currently debatable. This narrative review addresses the barriers for optimal use of IPTp-SP and discusses alternative approaches to increase the use and effectiveness of SP intervention for preventing MiP. The COVID pandemic has drastically affected the public health disrupting the management of diseases worldwide. In view of this, a brief summary of COVID impact on MiP situation is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barium Titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles were mixed with a stock paste containing an acrylate-based binder to prepare pigment paste. The formulated paste was applied to the cotton fabric by utilizing screen printing followed by drying and curing. The coated fabric was characterized for surface and elemental composition and uniform deposition of BaTiO3 nanoparticles was observed with minimal agglomeration. The resultant fabric showed an effective bacterial reduction greater than 99% against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and after 15 laundering cycles, the modified fabric showed a bacterial reduction of over 98%. The loaded fabric is capable of blocking harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiations. The modification of the cotton surface did not significantly change its intrinsic properties like water vapor permeability, air permeability, fabric stiffness, and other mechanical properties. The developed product has considerable possibilities and provides a good substitute for antibiotic materials for use in medical products and everyday apparel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In search of selective carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX inhibitors endowed with apoptotic inducing properties, we designed and synthesised two subsets of 4- and 3-(5-aryl-(4-phenylsulphonyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)benzene-sulphonamides. All compounds were assayed for human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms I, II, IV, and IX inhibition. Isoforms hCA I and hCA IV were weakly inhibited by most of the synthesised compounds. Many four-substituted benzenesulphonamides displayed low nanomolar inhibition against isoform hCA II, unlike the three-substituted analogues. All target compounds exhibited good inhibition profile with KI values ranging from 16.4 to 66.0 nM against tumour-associated isoform hCA IX. Some selective and potent inhibitors of hCA IX were assayed for in vitro apoptotic induction in goat testicular cells. Compounds 10d and 10h showed interesting apoptotic induction potential. The present study may provide insights into a strategy for the design of novel anticancer agents based on hCA inhibitors endowed with apoptotic interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Washingtonia filifera seeds have revealed to possess antioxidant properties, butyrylcholinesterase and xanthine oxidase inhibition activities. The literature has indicated a relationship between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type-2 diabetes (T2D). Keeping this in mind, we have now evaluated the inhibitory properties of W. filifera seed extracts on α-amylase, α-glucosidase enzyme activity and the Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (IAPP) fibrils formation. Three extracts from seeds of W. filifera were evaluated for their enzyme inhibitory effect and IC50 values were calculated for all the extracts. The inhibition mode was investigated by Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis and the inhibition of IAPP aggregate formation was monitored. W. filifera methanol seed extract appears as the most potent inhibitor of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and for the IAPP fibril formation. Current findings indicate new potential of this extract that could be used for the identification or development of novel potential agents for T2D and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The class III histone deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) plays a pivotal role in numerous biological and physiological functions, including inflammation. An association between SIRT1 and proinflammatory cytokines might exist. In addition to their important role in inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), proinflammatory cytokines mediate the development of systemic effects. Here, we evaluated systemic SIRT1 expression and enzymatic activity, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in liver isolated from rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA), treated or not with low or high doses of glucocorticoids (GCs). We also measured the production of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in PBMCs and liver. We found that SIRT1 expression and activity increased in PBMCs of AIA rats compared to healthy controls and decreased under GC treatment. Similarly, we observed an increased SIRT1 activity in the liver of AIA rats compared to healthy controls which decreased under high doses of GCs. We also found an increase in IL-1 beta and TNF levels in the liver of AIA rats compared to healthy controls, which decreased under high doses of GC. We did not observe a significant correlation between SIRT1 activity and proinflammatory cytokine production in PBMC or liver. In contrast, a strong positive correlation was found between the liver levels of TNF and IL-1 beta (rho=0.9503, p=7.5x10−21). Our results indicate that increased inflammation in AIA rats compared to healthy control is accompanied by an increased SIRT1 activity in both PBMCs and liver, which could be decreased under GC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an application of upgraded arithmetic operations on trapezoidal fuzzy number to extend the reliability from point estimation to interval estimation. A realistic example of an accidental case has been taken to show the desired results. As we know that uncertainty is a disregardable phenomenon and in this situation crisp reliability may not be exact. To get a better hold on this situation, we introduce a method of trapezoidal fuzzy number and upgraded arithmetic operations. In this paper, the reliability of each factor is represented by the trapezoidal fuzzy number and the final reliability is obtained in the form of trapezoidal fuzzy number. Hence, the dejection of fuzzy number is preserved and the crisp region is increased to illustrate the highest membership grade as an interval. So it can help the decision maker to analyse the behaviour of the system and take effective decision accordingly to reduce the chance of mishappening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytolacca, which belongs to the family of Phytolaccaceae, are known for their use in popular medicine. Bioactivity of five extracts from Phytolacca dioica seeds were evaluated in four bioassays. A selected group of compounds from the extract that displayed the best bioactivity was analysed. The ethyl acetate extract (EAE) possessed the highest content of phenolics, the highest inhibitory activity on the tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase enzymes and showed a high antioxidant activity. HPLC-DAD-MS was employed to identify the phenolics profile of the most active one (EAE). HSCCC analysis of the EAE led to the isolation of phytolaccoside B and a mixture of 4 isomers, isoamericanol B1, B2, C1 and C2. These isoamericanol isomers presented activity against tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase. Our results revealed for the first time an interesting biological activity of the extract and isolated compounds from P. dioica seeds, which could be considered as a source of bioactive molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Custard apple-shaped NaX zeolite with a large surface area was synthesized from rice husk ash without use of a templating agent via a single-step autoclave process at 90 °C/6h. The crystallinity of the particles was confirmed by XRD. An FTIR study shows the characteristic bands at 560 cm−1 for a double 6-membered ring (D6R), while a Raman shift at around 500 cm−1 indicates the bending mode of 4-membered ring fragments of NaX zeolite. The total BET surface area of the product was found to be 703 m2g−1 comprising a micrpore surface area of 623 m2g−1 and a mesopore surface area of 80 m2g−1. A hierarchical porous structure with micropores in the range of 0.72–1.76 nm and mesopores centred at 3.5 nm was obtained. FESEM and TEM images of NaX zeolite show a custard apple-like morphology (1–2 μm) of secondary particles which was formed by self-assembly of nanometer-sized (50–100 nm) primary particles. A proposed formation mechanism was illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric high grade gliomas (HGG) are primary brain malignancies that result in significant morbidity and mortality. One of the challenges in their treatment is inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity. Precision medicine approaches have the potential to enhance diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic information. In this case study we describe the molecular characterization of a pediatric HGG and the use of an integrated approach based on genomic, in vitro and in vivo testing to identify actionable targets and treatment options. Molecular analysis based on WGS performed on initial and recurrent tumor biopsies revealed mutations in TP53, TSC1 and CIC genes, focal amplification of MYCN, and copy number gains in SMO and c-MET. Transcriptomic analysis identified increased expression of MYCN, and genes involved in sonic hedgehog signaling proteins (SHH, SMO, GLI1, GLI2) and receptor tyrosine kinase pathways (PLK, AURKA, c-MET). HTS revealed no cytotoxic efficacy of SHH pathway inhibitors while sensitivity was observed to the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus, the ALK inhibitor ceritinib, and the PLK1 inhibitor BI2536. Based on the integrated approach, temsirolimus, ceritinib, BI2536 and standard therapy temozolomide were selected for further in vivo evaluation. Using the PDX animal model (median survival 28 days) we showed significant in vivo activity for mTOR inhibition by temsirolimus and BI2536 (median survival 109 and 115.5 days respectively) while ceritinib and temozolomide had only a moderate effect (43 and 75.5 days median survival respectively). This case study demonstrates that an integrated approach based on genomic, in vitro and in vivo drug efficacy testing in a PDX model may be useful to guide the management of high risk pediatric brain tumor in a clinically meaningful timeframe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study was conducted to investigate the post parturient behavioural activities of Surti buffaloes (n = 25) and their calves using low light-intensity cameras and digital video recorder at five stages (I: from calving to half an hour, II: 6-6:30 hours, III: 12-12:30 hours, IV: 18-18:30 hours and V: 24-24:30 hours after calving) over a period of 24 h immediately after calving. Based on their maternal behaviour score (MBS) dams were categorized into two classes that is, group 1 (MBS = 1: very aggressive and 2: very attentive) and group 2 (MBS = 3: indifferent and 4: apathetic) where dam scored MBS 1 represented very aggressive and 4 apathetic. Overall eating time was significantly (P < .05) higher in buffalo cows of group 2 (8.87 ± 1.34 min) than in group 1 (5.37 ± 0.50 min). Dams of both the groups spent significantly (P < .05) longer time in sniffing and licking calf's body and licking ano-genital area of calf during stage I than later stages. Significantly (P < .05) longer time intervals from birth to standing (53.03 ± 3.04 min) were observed in group 2 calves. A positive correlation (P < .01) was observed between the time interval from birth to suckling and duration of active teat seeking (0.525). It may be inferred that post parturient neonatal behaviour have certain level of relationship with maternal behaviour score, whereas, parity and sex did not show any significant effect on MBS in Surti buffaloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli are important pathogens among bacterial causes of neonatal piglet diarrhoea. Their adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells is an essential prerequisite for incidence of diarrhoea, which makes certain animal innately resistant and this adhesion pattern is genetically controlled. Among the candidate genes associated with adhesion pattern, MUC13 is the most likely responsible gene examined in diverse outbred swine populations. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the native Indian (desi) pigs in terms of E. coli adhesion pattern (with Indian isolate) and MUC13 expression profile across adhesion phenotypes. Out of 80 pigs screened, 27 were found to be non-adhesive, 46 adhesive and 7 were weakly adhesive. Effect of sex was found to be significant (P<.05) with non-significant age effect. RT-PCR analysis revealed that although, porcine MUC13 mRNA expression was highest in adhesive (2.67±0.69 fold), moderate in weakly adhesive (1.22±0.35 fold) and low levels in non-adhesive (calibrator) phenotypes, differences were statistically non-significant (P<.05). While the availability of non-adhesive phenotypes among Indian desi pigs implicates abundance of input genetic resources to start a breeding programme against diarrhoea, the descending expression of MUC 13 in adhesive and weakly adhesive samples speculates its important role in adhesion of E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Title Comparative study between intravenous dexmedetomidine and clonidine as premedication in pediatric patients undergoing spinal anesthesia. Background Many techniques and drug regimens, with partial or greater success, have been tried from time to time to eliminate the anxiety component and to prolong the postoperative analgesia during regional anesthesia. In pediatric patients, anxiety and lack of cooperativeness for the regional procedure is the major problem in providing spinal anaesthesia. Alpha2-adrenergic agonists have both analgesic and sedative properties, when used as an adjuvant to regional anesthesia. They eliminate the anxiety, provide conscious sedation, lower the level of agitation and improve patient satisfaction. We designed a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, to evaluate and compare the efficacy of intravenous dexmedetomidine with clonidine as a premedication drug during spinal anaesthesia using intrathecal bupivacaine. Materials and methods In this prospective, randomized, double-blind study, 60 pediatric patients 4–10 years of age of the American Society of Anesthesiologists status I, scheduled for uro-genital surgery under spinal anesthesia, were randomly allocated into two groups of 30 each. Group DE received dexmedetomidine 1 μg kg−1 and group CL received clonidine 1 μg kg−1 diluted in 20 ml of normal saline intravenously over 10 min, 40 min before subarachnoid anaesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. The patients were monitored every 5 min for 1st 20 min and then every 10 min interval vitals were noted. Acceptable sedation score, parental separation anxiety level and degree of mask acceptance were assessed. Highest level of sensory blockade, time of two segment regression and time of first request of analgesic were also noted. Data was analyzed using Fisher's exact test or Chi-square test and the value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Group DE and CL had comparable sedation score (p > 0.05). However, parental separation anxiety score and mask acceptance score, were better in DE than CL group (p < 0.05). There was no significant haemodynamic differences between the groups (p > 0.05). Duration of analgesia was also prolonged in DE group. Conclusion Dexmedetomidine is superior to clonidine as a premedication drug in pediatric patients undergoing spinal anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present investigation genetic variability in humoral response to classical swine fever (CSF) vaccination was explored. The aim of the study was to find association of 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (IL-1β, MX1, IRF3 and SLA genes) with humoral response measured in terms of percentage inhibition of E2 antibody by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The post-vaccination response of CSF vaccination was low to moderate inDesipiglets ranged from 25.29% to 92.23% whereas it was moderate to high inDesi×Landracepiglets ranged from 69.30% to 100%. The response to CSF vaccination was significantly (P< 0.0001) differing inDesiandDesi×Landracepiglets. The mean percentage inhibition inDesipiglets was 62.73% but inDesi×Landracecross-bred it was 97.24%. None of the SNPs of present investigation was significantly associated with humoral immune response inDesipiglets. Two SNPs namely rs80937718 (SLA DQA1) and rs80929898 (SLA DQA1) were significantly (P< 0.01) affecting the humoral response of CSF vaccination inDesi×Landracepiglets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present study, polymorphisms at two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)  and one microsatellite locus of SLC11A1 gene were investigated for finding their association with susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis trait (tuberculin reaction) in Indian cattle. A total of 245 animals were tested with single intradermal tuberculin test for screening positive animals for tuberculin reaction. At rs109915208 locus very low polymorphism information content of 0.0454 was observed, whereas it was moderate (0.352) at rs109453173 locus of SLC11A1. At rs109915208 locus the genotypic as well as allelic frequencies were differing significantly (p-value < .05) in case–control animals where the odds ratio (OR) of ‘CC’verses‘CT’ genotype and the OR of ‘C’verses ‘T’ allele were approaching towards infinity, suggesting that animals having ‘CT’ genotype and ‘T’ allele were less susceptible for tuberculin reaction as compared to their contemporary genotype/allele. The significantly associated SNP was non-synonymous causing an amino acid change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Context: The unique physiological limitations of the eye have been assigned as reason of low bioavailability by conventional drug delivery systems. There is need of such drug carriers, which ensure improved bioavailability as well as patient compliance upon instillation into the eye. Objective: The present investigation deals with development of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) containing celecoxib (CXB) for treatment of ophthalmic inflammations. Materials and methods: The SLNs were formulated by melt-emulsion sonication and low temperature-solidification process and evaluated for particle size, surface morphology, physicochemical properties, percentage drug incorporation efficiency,in vitrodrug release,in vitrotrans-corneal permeation,in vivoefficacy in ocular inflammation, stability study and gamma scintigraphy study to assess the residence of solid lipid nanoparticles over ocular surfaces. Results: The SLNs were spherical and the optimized formulation had particle size of 198.77 ± 7.5 nm, which is quite suitable for ocular applications. The maximum entrapment efficiency of 92.46 ± 0.07% was achieved for formulation SLN 20. The permeation across the cornea was also significantly better than aqueous suspension (8.21 ± 0.67 versus 4.61 ± 0.71) atp < 0.05. Discussion and conclusion: The SLN formulations demonstrated improved performance of entrapped CXB while mitigating the key parameters of ocular inflammation in rabbits. The particulate formulations have exhibited prolonged retention over ocular surfaces as evident from results of gamma scintigraphy using99mTc labeled SLNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway controls embryonic development and adult stem cell maintenance through the regulation of transcription. Failure to downregulate Wnt signaling can result in embryonic malformations and cancer, highlighting the important role of negative regulators of the pathway. The Wnt pathway activates several negative feedback targets, including axin2 and Dkk1, that function at different levels of the signaling cascade; however, none have been identified that directly target active β-catenin/Tcf1 transcriptional complexes. We show that Zfp703 is a Wnt target gene that inhibits Wnt/β-catenin activity in Wnt reporter assays and in Wnt-dependent mesoderm differentiation in embryonic stem cells. Zfp703 binds directly to Tcf1 to inhibit β-catenin/Tcf1 complex formation and does so independently of the Groucho/Tle transcriptional corepressor. We propose that Zfp703 is a novel feedback suppressor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling that functions by inhibiting the association of β-tenin with Tcf1 on Wnt response elements in target gene enhancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Facial hirsutism is a cosmetic concern for women and can lead to significant anxiety and lack of self-esteem. Eflornithine cream is indicated for the treatment of facial hirsutism. However, limited success rate and overall patient's satisfaction, even with a long-term and high-frequency application, leave room for improvement. Objective: The objective of this study is to test the effect of microneedle treatment on thein vitroskin permeation and thein vivoefficacy of eflornithine cream in a mouse model. Materials and method: In vitropermeation study of eflornithine was performed using Franz diffusion cell.In vivoefficacy study was performed in a mouse model by monitoring the re-growth of hair in the lower dorsal skin of mice after the eflornithine cream was applied onto an area pretreated with microneedles. The skin and the hair follicles in the treated area were also examined histologically. Results and discussion: The hair growth inhibitory activity of eflornithine was significantly enhanced when the eflornithine cream was applied onto a mouse skin area pretreated with microneedles, most likely because the micropores created by microneedles allowed the permeation of eflornithine into the skin, as confirmed in anin vitropermeation study. Immunohistochemistry data revealed that cell proliferation in the skin and hair follicles was also significantly inhibited when the eflornithine cream was applied onto a skin area pretreated with microneedles. Conclusion: The integration of microneedle treatment into topical eflornithine therapy represents a potentially viable approach to increase eflornithine's ability to inhibit hair growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) pathway is one of the central routes that enhances cell survival, division, and migration, and it is frequently deregulated in cancer. PI3K catalyzes formation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P3] after cell activation; PTEN subsequently reduces these lipids to basal levels. Activation of the ubiquitous p110β isoform precedes that of p110β at several points during the cell cycle. We studied the potential connections between p110β and p110β activation, and we show that cell stimulation promotes p110β and p110β association, demonstrating oligomerization of PI3K catalytic subunits within cells. Cell stimulation also promoted PTEN incorporation into this complex, which was necessary for PTEN activation. Our results show that PI3Ks dimerize in vivo and that PI3K and PTEN activities modulate each other in a complex that controls cell PI(3,4,5)P3 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]