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Product inhibition poses a persistent challenge in catalysis, adversely affecting reaction rates and selectivity, leading to substantial economic losses in industrial settings. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in sustainable hydrogen production, where byproduct-induced inhibition often obstructs catalyst regeneration and sustained catalytic activity. Despite numerous reports highlighting the issues associated with product inhibition, studies directly addressing this critical problem while maintaining a high turnover frequency (TOF) of the catalyst throughout the cycle remain unexplored. In this work, we have engineered a unique catalyst comprising Ru atomic clusters (ACs) installed on the surface of Co–Co2B (10% RuACs/Co–Co2B) that remarkably combats product inhibition by borates during ammonia borane (AB) dehydrogenation, while sustaining the catalyst's efficacy in hydrogen production throughout the reaction cycle. The hydrogen generation proceeds with a superior rate (26559.14 ± 169.67 mL min−1 gcat−1) and a high TOF (1032.2 ± 114.6 molH2 molRu−1 min−1) that dehydrogenates AB in only 9 s. Through a comprehensive analysis combining detailed experimental evidence, computational studies, and successive half-life analyses, we have uncovered significant charge reorganization between the Ru atomic clusters and the Co–Co2B support, which cooperatively facilitates rapid kinetics and greatly enhances the removal of the byproduct, ammonium tetramethoxyborate (AMB), from the catalyst's surface. This unique chemistry to combat product inhibition without compromising high rate and TOF distinguishes the 10% RuACs/Co–Co2B catalyst from others reported in the literature. Our findings not only hold significant promise for a sustainable hydrogen economy but open up avenues for the fundamental engineering of atomically clustered multitasking catalysts capable of addressing product inhibition in various crucial reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the most highly conserved elements in the human genome are "poison exons," alternatively spliced exons that contain premature termination codons and permit post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA abundance through induction of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Poison exons are widely assumed to be highly conserved due to their presumed importance for organismal fitness, but this functional importance has never been tested in the context of a whole organism. Here, we report that a poison exon in Smndc1 is conserved across mammals and plants and plays a molecular autoregulatory function in both kingdoms. We generated mouse and A. thaliana models lacking this poison exon to find its loss leads to deregulation of SMNDC1 protein levels, pervasive alterations in mRNA processing, and organismal size restriction. Together, these models demonstrate the importance of poison exons for both molecular and organismal phenotypes that likely explain their extraordinary conservation. Author summary: Poison exons are highly conserved elements in the human genome and are known for their roles in regulating mRNA abundance. Despite their assumed importance for organismal fitness, their functional significance has not been tested in whole organisms. Our study focuses on a poison exon in the Smndc1 gene. We discovered that this poison exon is conserved between mammals and plants and sought to test its functional importance. We generated mouse and plant models lacking this specific poison exon. The loss of this exon led to dysregulated SMNDC1 protein levels and widespread disruptions in RNA processing. These molecular changes resulted in a noticeable reduction in organismal size, underscoring the physiological impact of poison exon loss. Our findings demonstrate that poison exons are crucial for maintaining proper protein levels and mRNA processing homeostasis, which may partially explain their remarkable evolutionary conservation. This study highlights the importance of poison exons in both molecular regulation and overall organismal health, providing insights into their conservation across diverse species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture plays a fundamental role in India's economy, supporting 70% of rural households. While often perceived as non-productive, agricultural waste harbors materials potentially beneficial to humans through the creation and utilization of biochar in the production and processing of agricultural goods. This study conducts a comprehensive exploration into the advantages and risks associated with biochar application, considering its role as a soil amendment, bioremediation agent, and its broader implications for human health and the environment. Biochar, primarily composed of stable carbon, was initially proposed as a soil amendment to sequester carbon. Efficient resource utilization has emerged as a viable means to address global environmental challenges associated with waste disposal. This review delineates diverse agricultural waste types and sources, identifies related environmental risks, and advocates for government-led measures aligned with circular economy principles to manage such waste. Furthermore, it offers insights into potential management strategies, policy considerations, and practical approaches, fostering sustainable agriculture practices and environmental conservation in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone regeneration involves multiple factors such as tissue interactions, an inflammatory response, and vessel formation. In the event of diseases, old age, lifestyle, or trauma, bone regeneration can be impaired which could result in a prolonged healing duration or requiring an external intervention for repair. Currently, bone grafts hold the golden standard for bone regeneration. However, several limitations hinder its clinical applications, e.g., donor site morbidity, an insufficient tissue volume, and uncertain post-operative outcomes. Bone tissue engineering, involving stem cells seeded onto scaffolds, has thus been a promising treatment alternative for bone regeneration. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) are known to hold therapeutic value for the treatment of various clinical conditions and have displayed feasibility and significant effectiveness due to their ease of isolation, non-invasive, abundance in quantity, and osteogenic capacity. Notably, in vitro studies showed AD-MSCs holding a high proliferation capacity, multi-differentiation potential through the release of a variety of factors, and extracellular vesicles, allowing them to repair damaged tissues. In vivo and clinical studies showed AD-MSCs favoring better vascularization and the integration of the scaffolds, while the presence of scaffolds has enhanced the osteogenesis potential of AD-MSCs, thus yielding optimal bone formation outcomes. Effective bone regeneration requires the interplay of both AD-MSCs and scaffolds (material, pore size) to improve the osteogenic and vasculogenic capacity. This review presents the advances and applications of AD-MSCs for bone regeneration and bone tissue engineering, focusing on the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies involving AD-MSCs for bone tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litigious paranoia is a mental disorder that includes morbid litigants who are in overwhelming pursuit of justice for a perceived legal wrong. There is substantial socio-occupational dysfunction in these individuals over years. This pathological fixation can result in marked aggression. However, no separate nosological status has been given to this type of mental disorder. Moreover, the close interface between law and psychiatry also limits the actual understanding of the psychopathology of litigants. This consequentially limits the scope of early intervention and increases the risk of harm to one's own self and to others. The forensic psychiatrist therefore works toward identification of fixation, which can be due to underlying obsession, delusion, or overvalued belief. We present a historical overview of litigant paranoia with a case report. The report highlights the need for in-depth evaluation of mental state of morbid litigants by mental health professionals in order to ascertain the underlying psychopathology and initiate early treatment intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Personality traits influence one's behavior and are an important determinant of psychological well-being. Though personality traits influencing criminal behavior have been well researched, the influence of these personality traits on the mental health of prisoners still needs to be studied. Aims: The current study was undertaken with the aim to compare the personality traits of convicted prisoners with and without psychiatric morbidity. Settings and Design: Two hundred convicted prisoners were administered a semi-structured questionnaire assessing sociodemographic and criminological variables and their personality characteristics were assessed using the Hindi PEN inventory. Subjects and Methods: They were categorized into two groups, i.e., with and without psychiatric morbidity based on whether or not they had any psychiatric disorder when assessed using mini-international neuropsychiatric interview and their personality characteristics were compared. Statistical Analysis Used: Frequencies with percentages, mean, and standard deviations were calculated for descriptive statistics using SPSS Version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Mann--Whitney test was used for comparing two samples and Kruskal--Wallis one-way analysis of variance by ranks was used for comparing more than two samples. Spearman rank correlation was used for assessing the correlation between two variables. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Convicts with psychiatric disorders scored significantly higher on neuroticism (10.78 ± 3.51) and psychoticism (8.64 ± 2.93) dimensions of personality as compared to their counterparts without psychiatric morbidity who had significantly higher scores on Extraversion (12.35 ± 2.92) (P < 0.01). Male convicts had significantly higher scores on the extraversion dimension of personality (10.79 ± 3.77) compared to their female counterparts (9.27 ± 3.49; P < 0.01) There was a significant negative correlation between extraversion and neuroticism (=-0.509), extraversion and psychoticism (=-0.355) and a high positive relationship between neuroticism and psychoticism (=0.634). Conclusions: A baseline personality assessment of prisoners at the time of intake into jail is strongly recommended to identify those with high vulnerability to develop psychiatric problems so that effective and timely interventions can be planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, quantum mechanical descriptors have been used for the development of quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models for the thirty-two derivatives of aryl sulphonamide and sulfone based 5-HT6 antagonists. Among several classes of serotonin 5-HT6 receptor ligands, aryl sulphonamides reported better affinity towards the receptor. Drugs acting as serotonin ligands are useful in the treatment of a variety of mental disorders. The descriptors that have been used in our study are total energy, log P, molecular weight, dipole moment, heat of formation, LUMO energy, HOMO energy and electrophilicity index. The geometry optimization and evaluation of descriptors of all the compounds has been done with the help of CAChe Pro software using DFT-B88-LYP method with double-zeta valence polarized (DZVP) basis set. The best QSAR model for this set of derivatives has been obtained by combination of descriptors molecular weight, dipole moment and heat of formation. The descriptor molecular weight gives a monoparametric QSAR model with remarkable predictive ability with positive contribution. The descriptor molecular weight is present in all best bi-parametric and tri-parametric QSAR models. Statistical parameters such as correlation coefficient, cross validation coefficient, standard error etc. were used to validate the predictability of QSAR models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypercholesterolemia is a main driver of atherosclerosis. Cholesterol-containing lipoproteins induce endothelial dysfunction and macrophage activation. Foam cell formation results from the uptake of cholesterol-containing lipoproteins by macrophages, it is an essential step in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Aims and Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of alternate day versus daily dosing of atorvastatin in patients with dyslipidemia. Materials and Methods: This open-label, prospective, observational study was conducted on dyslipidemic patients who came into the medicine Outpatient Department of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Tamil Nadu. Approval for the study was taken from the Institutional Ethical Committee. The duration of the study was 3 months. The efficacy of atorvastatin was checked by noting their blood lipid profile status. Results: Out of 100 patients included in the study 79 completed the study whereas 21 patients were lost in follow-up, 42 patients were analyzed in daily dose (Group A), and 37 patients in alternate dose (Group B) of atorvastatin (20 mg). There was no statistically significant difference based on triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein levels both prior and post-treatment in both the groups. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) profile showed a statistically significant difference between both the groups after treatment by atorvastatin (P=0.0001), with more ADRs noted in a daily dosing group. Conclusion: The results of this study show that alternate dosing of atorvastatin was better tolerated than daily dosing hence physicians can consider choosing an alternate day therapy to reduce pill burden on patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global burden of cardiometabolic renal disease is increasing, particularly in underserved communities. Twinepidemic Inc.'s Galvanize Healthy Living program conducts community screenings, risk assessments, and educational interventions globally. We screened 1209 subjects for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, assessing their disease knowledge and self-confidence. Mean age was 50, with 65% females and 35% males. Imaging post-risk assessment revealed abnormalities: EKG (16%), echocardiogram (10%), carotid plaque (9%), ABI (2.5%), and eye exam (3.6%, including 8 retinopathies, 14 cataracts). New onset DM was found in 8%, prediabetes in 18.5%, High LDL in 4.2%, low HDL in 40.2%, high triglycerides in 13.1%, and abnormal BP in 38%. In addition, 18.2% were reclassified to a higher category of risk levels after imaging. Significant improvements in knowledge and self-empowerment (all p < 0.001) were seen after educational interventions. This study underscores early risk assessment's potential to enhance health outcomes globally for underserved populations, validating POC imaging and emphasizing the role of accessible care and education in patient engagement and empowerment., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s).)

Pthiriasis palpebrarum, a rare condition caused by Phthirus pubis , can mimic blepharitis and manifest as intense itching, inflammation and eyelid redness. We describe a case of Pthiriasis palpebrarum in a young girl with right upper eyelid discomfort. A slit lamp examination revealed eggs on her eyelashes and adult lice on the eyelids' surface. Dermatology consultation confirmed the diagnosis and successful treatment followed. Family evaluation uncovered genital Phthiriasis pubis in her parents, who received appropriate treatment. This report emphasises the importance of accurate diagnosis and management of this masquerading condition by careful slit lamp and microscopic evaluation. It also highlights the significance of comprehensive family history and examination., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: To assess the relative risk of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile (HO-CDI) during each month of the early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to compare it with historical expectation based on patient characteristics., Design: This study used a retrospective cohort design. We collected secondary data from the institution's electronic health record (EHR)., Setting: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Ohio, a large tertiary healthcare system in the Midwest., Patients or Participants: All adult patients admitted to the inpatient setting between January 2018 and May 2021 were eligible for the study. Prisoners, children, individuals presenting with Clostridioides difficile on admission, and patients with <4 days of inpatient stay were excluded from the study., Results: After controlling for patient characteristics, the observed numbers of HO-CDI cases were not significantly different than expected. However, during 3 months of the pandemic period, the observed numbers of cases were significantly different from what would be expected based on patient characteristics. Of these 3 months, 2 months had more cases than expected and 1 month had fewer., Conclusions: Variations in HO-CDI incidence seemed to trend with COVID-19 incidence but were not fully explained by our case mix. Other factors contributing to the variability in HO-CDI incidence beyond listed patient characteristics need to be explored.