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Telomeres are specialized structures at the ends of linear chromosomes that protect them from degradation and fusion. It’s replication is a complex process that involves both DNA polymerases and a specialized enzyme called telomerase which is a ribonucleoprotein complex that synthesizes telomeric DNA by using an internal RNA template. However, telomerase alone cannot fully replicate the telomeric DNA, and requires the cooperation of other factors, such as shelterin, CST, and DNA repair proteins. Telomere replication is tightly regulated by various mechanisms, such as cell cycle checkpoints, telomere length homeostasis, and telomere position effect and dysregulation of it can lead to genomic instability, cellular senescence, and cancer. Therefore, understanding the molecular details of telomere replication is crucial for elucidating the role of telomeres in aging and disease.

The emergence of infectious diseases, including viral zoonoses, has allowed intensive research into novel therapeutic approaches. Stem cell therapy, mostly using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has garnered significant attention due to the immunomodulatory properties and tissue repair capabilities. MSCs have demonstrated promise in treating severe COVID-19 cases and several clinical trials have revealed that MSC therapy improves 28-day survival rates, reduces mortality, and accelerates recovery. These cells effectively mitigate a cytokine storm, relieve pulmonary symptoms, and positively influence organ recovery, including the liver and kidneys. Bioanalytical readings return to normal following MSC administration, emphasizing the potential in managing COVID-19-induced complications. MSC therapy offers a potential solution for infection with the influenza virus, which is responsible for historical pandemics and epidemics, and remains a global health concern. MSCs inhibit immune cell-mediated responses and reduce lung damage in animal models, and despite antiviral drugs, influenza-induced manifestations persist. MSCs, with an ability to counteract inflammation and promote lung tissue repair, hold promise for managing influenza infections. While MSCs offer therapeutic benefits, certain challenges remain. Specifically, ethical considerations, regulatory hurdles, and scalability are some of the challenges that hinder widespread adoption. However, ongoing systematic reviews and meta-analyses provide real-time insight that support the security and effectiveness of MSC therapy.

Abstract Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (CZTS) is a propitious semiconductor for active absorber material in thin-film solar cells (SCs). Here, SC architecture comprising FTO/ZnS/CZTS/variable HTLs/Au is discussed. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and gold (Au) are used as front and back contacts, respectively. Zinc sulphide (ZnS) is used as an active electron transport layer (ETL), while different Cu-based materials (Cu2O, CuO, CuI, and CuSCN) are used as hole transport layers (HTL). A one-dimensional solar cell capacitance simulator (SCAPS-1D) is utilized to simulate the SC structure. Among different Cu-based HTLs, Cu2O is preferred as a potential candidate for high cell performance of CZTS-based SC. The effects of various layer parameters such as thickness, doping density, and carrier concentrations, electron affinity of HTL and absorber, respectively, are also discussed. After optimization of the device, variation of operating temperature and the effect of series and shunt resistance are also taken into consideration. The optimized results of thickness and acceptor concentration (NA) of absorber material are 1.5 µm and approx. 1.0 × 1019 cm−3, respectively. In addition, the function of HTL (with and without) in the designed SC structure is also studied. Capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics are also discussed to get an insight of built-in potential. We have achieved cell performances viz. efficiency = 31.86%, short circuit current density = 32.05 mA/cm2, open circuit voltage = 1.19 V, and fill factor = 83.37%.

In humans particularly in children, adenovirus is one of the most common viruses that cause respiratory illnesses. Knowing how to detect adenovirus proficiently and rapidly will help reinforce surveillance of adenovirus infections, detect epidemic situations in real-time, and understand the trend of virus epidemics, which will allow effective actions to be taken quickly. The rapid detection of antiviral antibodies or viral antigens in clinical samples can be achieved by molecular diagnostic techniques like PCR, Real-Time PCR, LAMP, mPCR-RLB, PCR-ELISA, Tem-PCR, Gene Chip, and so on. Some of the molecular diagnostic methods are relatively economical, exceedingly sensitive and explicit. There are several commercially accessible molecular diagnostic techniques that enable their use in clinical laboratories all over the world. In this review, the principles, characteristics, and applications of molecular biology surveillance methods commonly used in labs and clinics for the detection of human adenoviruses are examined and highlighted.

In contrast to Watson-Crick (WC) base pairing, Hoogsteen (HG) base pairing involves flipping a purine base 180° between its anti and syn conformation. Recent studies have shown that HG pairs coexist in dynamical equilibrium, and several biological functions depend on them. This significance has stirred computational research on this base-pairing transition. However, a methodical reproduction of sequence variations has continued to be out of reach. It is becoming increasingly clear that Hoogsteen base pairs play a crucial role in DNA replication, recognition, damage repair, and incorrect sequence repair. The Protein Data Bank contains a variety of Hoogsteen base pairing modes that include the preference for A–T versus G–C bps, TA versus GG steps, and a preference for 5'-purines at terminal ends. RNA A-form duplexes are strongly disfavored by Hoogsteen base pairs, in stark contrast to B-form DNA. Therefore, N1-methyl adenosine and N1-methyl guanosine, which transpire in DNA as alkylation impairment and in RNA as posttranscriptional adjustments, have great differences in effects. They create G–C+ and A–U Hoogsteen base pairs in duplex DNA that preserve the structural integrity of the double helix, but obstruct base pairing altogether and induce local duplex melting in RNA, providing a mechanism for potently disrupting RNA structure through posttranscriptional modifications. In duplex DNA, they maintain the structural integrity of the double helix by creating G–C+ and A–U Hoogsteen base pairs, but block base pairing altogether and cause local duplex melting in RNA, thus providing a potent means for disrupting RNA structure post transcriptionally. As a result of the markedly different inclinations for B-DNA and A-RNA to form Hoogsteen base pairs, they may be able to balance the opposing demands of maintaining genome stability and dynamically modulating the epitranscriptome. This review examines the occurrence of Hoogsteen base pairs in DNA and RNA duplexes.

Spatio-temporal data serves as a foundation for most location-based applications nowadays. To handle spatio-temporal data, an appropriate methodology needs to be properly followed, in which space and time dimensions of data must be taken into account ‘altogether’ – unlike spatial (or temporal) data management tools which consider space (or time) separately and assumes no dependency on one another. In this paper, we conducted a survey on spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal database research. Additionally, to use an original example to illustrate how today’s technologies can be used to handle spatio-temporal data and applications, we categorize the current technologies into two groups: (1) traditional, mainstay tools (e.g. SQL ecosystem) and (2) emerging, data-intensive tools (e.g. deep learning). Specifically, in the first group, we use our spatio-temporal application based on SQL system, ‘hydrological rainstorm analysis’, as an original example showing how analysis and mining tasks can be performed on the conceptual storm stored in a spatio-temporal RDB. In the second group, we use our spatio-temporal application based on deep learning, ‘users’ future locations prediction based on historical trajectory GPS data using hyper optimized ANNs and LSTMs’, as an original example showing how deep learning models can be applied to spatio-temporal data.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. It mainly occurs in patients with chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B or C infections, as well as chronic alcoholics. HCC is one of the highly malignant neoplasms. Extrahepatic metastases are seen in 64% of patients with HCC, but metastases to the brain and skull are extremely rare. Here, the case of a 45-year-old male who presented with left III, IV, VI, IX, X, and XII cranial nerve palsies is reported. These were revealed to be caused by a distant metastasis from an unnoticed HCC with a background of previously undiagnosed chronic alcoholic liver disease. Physicians should be aware of the metastatic potential of HCC, in addition to its uncommon presentations, while encountering patients with an underlying liver disease. This case report demonstrates that metastatic HCC can lead to a rare, but possible, new onset of cranial neuropathy.

In recent decades, the development of complex materials developed a class of biomass waste-derived porous carbons (BWDPCs), which are used for carbon capture and sustainable waste management. It is difficult in understanding the adsorption mechanism of CO2 in the air as it has a wide range of properties associated with its diverse textures, functional group existence, pressure, and temperature of varying range. These properties influence diversely the adsorption mechanism of CO2 and pose serious challenges in the process. To resolve this multiobjective formulation, we use a machine learning classifier that maps systematically the CO2 adsorption as a function of compositional and textural properties and adsorption parameters. The machine learning classifier helps in the classification of various porous carbon materials during the time of training and testing. The results of the simulation show that the proposed method is more efficient in classifying the porous nature of the CO2 adsorption materials than other methods.

Many robotics systems carrying certain payloads are employed in manufacturing industries for pick and place tasks. The system experiences inefficiency if more or less weight is introduced. If a different payload is introduced (either due to a change in the load or a change in the parameters of the robot system), the robot must be re-trained with the new weight/parameters and the new network must be trained. Parameters such as the robot weight, length of limbs, or new payload may vary for an agent depending on the circumstance. Parameter changes pose a problem to the agent in achieving the same goal it is expected to achieve with the original parameters. Hence, it becomes mandatory to re-train the agent with the new parameters in order for it to achieve its goal. This research proposes a novel framework for the adaption of varying conditions on a robot agent in a given simulated environment without any retraining. Utilizing the properties of Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), the agent is able to train only once with reinforcement learning and by tweaking the noise vector of the generator in the GAN network, the agent can adapt to new conditions accordingly and demonstrate similar performance as if it were trained with the new physical attributes using reinforcement learning. A simple CartPole environment is considered for the experimentation, and it is shown that with the propose approached the agent remains stable for more iterations. The approach can be extended to the real world in the future.

Fungal diseases are very common these days, so there is a high need to design and develop new antifungal drugs that can counter these diseases. Candida albicans is one of the opportunistic pathogenic yeasts that can cause serious diseases such as oropharyngeal candidiasis, vulvovaginal (genital) candidiasis, and invasive candidiasis (candidemia). This article focuses on the in-silico evaluation of anti-candidal activity of some natural compounds like ajoene, allicin, curcumin, gingerol, nimbin, nimbolide, nimonol and 6-Shogaol. Binding affinity of these compounds have been determined against the most common targets in C. albicans viz. cytochrome p450, lanosterol synthase, serine/threonine protein kinase, squalene monooxygenase, sterol-14-demethylase and thymidylate synthase. PatchDock and FireDock web servers were used to carry out the docking studies. The proposed targets of ajoene, allicin, curcumin, gingerol, nimbin, nimbolide, nimonol and 6-Shogaol are sterol 14-demethylase, cytochrome p450, cytochrome p450, cytochrome p450, cytochrome p450, squalene monooxygenase, lanosterol synthase and squalene monooxygenase respectively based upon the binding energies obtained by the docking studies. This study opens new avenues in the usage of the natural compounds as potential antifungal agents. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3911299

The mumps virus causes an acute viral syndrome which is generally a self-limiting condition. It primarily affects the children. The majority of cases present with parotid swelling which is usually followed by complete recovery. Symptomatic infection is typically more severe in adults than in children. Encephalitis, meningitis, and orchitis are the most common serious complications of mumps. Pneumonia is an extremely rare and unusual complication of mumps. In this case report, the patient was an adult who presented with a short history of fever, unilateral parotid swelling, cough, and worsening breathlessness. On evaluation, he was diagnosed as a case of mumps complicated with severe pneumonia. The patient later developed a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, which was managed successfully by prone ventilation, recruitment maneuvers, lung-protective ventilation (high positive end-expiratory pressure and low tidal volume), and other supportive measures.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES), also known as Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome, presents with rapid onset symptoms, including headache, seizures, altered consciousness, and visual disturbance. It is seen most frequently in settings of acute hypertension and is usually related to eclampsia. Only a few cases in the literature described PRES syndrome following benzodiazepines. We present a young male with benzodiazepine poisoning brought to the hospital in a deep coma, hypoxia, acidosis, and shock. Diagnosis of PRES was made on history, clinical examination, and radiologic findings of symmetric bilateral hyperintensities on T2 weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs) representing vasogenic edema.

The effect of channel orientation and rib pitch-to-height ratio on the pressure drop distribution in a rib-roughened channel is an important issue in turbine blade cooling. The present investigation is a study of the overall pressure drop distribution in a square cross-sectioned channel, with rib turbulators, rotating about an axis normal to the free stream. The ribs are configured in a symmetric arrangement on two opposite surfaces with a rib angle of 90∘ to the mainstream flow. The study has been conducted for three Reynolds numbers, namely, 13 000, 17 000, and 22 000 with the rotation number varying from 0–0.38. Experiments have been carried out for various rib pitch-to-height ratios (P/e) with a constant rib height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio (e/D) of 0.1. The test section in which the ribs are placed on the leading and trailing surfaces is considered as the base case (orientation angle=0∘, Coriolis force vector normal to the ribbed surfaces). The channel is turned about its axis in steps of 15∘ to vary the orientation angle from 0∘ to 90∘. The overall pressure drop does not change considerably under conditions of rotation for the base case. However, for the other cases tested, it is observed that the overall pressure drop increases with an increase in the rotation number for a given orientation angle and also increases with an increase in the orientation angle for a given rotation number. This change is attributed to the variation in the separation zone downstream of the ribs due to the presence of the Coriolis force—local pressure drop data is presented which supports this idea. At an orientation angle of 90∘ (ribs on the top and bottom surfaces, Coriolis force vector normal to the smooth surfaces), the overall pressure drop is observed to be maximum during rotation. The overall pressure drop for a case with a rib pitch-to-height ratio of 5 on both surfaces is found to be the highest among all the rib pitch-to-height ratios covered in this study with the maximum increase in the overall pressure drop being as high as five times the corresponding no-rotation case at the highest rotation number of 0.38 and 90∘ orientation angle.

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) play a pivotal role as village-level functionaries under the National Health Mission, driving community transformation, facilitating health planning, and ensuring access to healthcare services. Objectives: To assess the physical health status of ASHA workers and to investigate the prevalence of morbidities among ASHA workers. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted in Vadodara's east zone, and involves 123 ASHA workers. A questionnaire focusing on health profiles, encompassing age, weight, height, body mass index, and blood pressure, as well as histories of acute and chronic illnesses, was employed for data collection. Descriptive statistics were employed to summarize demographic and professional characteristics, and inferential statistics, such as Chi-square tests, were applied to assess associations and factors influencing the morbidity profile of the ASHA workers. Results: The participant's mean age was 38.9 ± 6.85 years. The majority, 74 (60.2%), of them reported no morbidity, whereas 40 (32.52%) had a chronic illness and 9 (7.32%) had acute morbidity at the time of visit. Among the chronic morbidity, 50% of ASHA had poly morbidity. Anemia was found among most ASHAs, 32 (26.02%), followed by diabetes, 19 (15.45%), and hypertension, musculoskeletal problems, thyroid disorders, and obesity were the other major diseases found among the ASHAs in 14.63%, 13.82%, 13.01%, and 11.38%, respectively. Skin problems like fungal infection and rashes were found among 5.69%. Based on body mass index, 27 (21.95%) were found overweight and 14 (11.38%) were obese. Conclusion: The study revealed a 32% chronic morbidity prevalence among ASHA workers who are taking care of citizens' health. It is high time to take care of our health team. First, they should be healthy as they are the role models of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Haemorrhoidectomy is a commonly performed surgical procedure for the treatment of hemorrhoids. This prospective study aimed to assess post-operative pain in haemorrhoidectomy with or without lateral sphincterotomy and compare the outcomes between the two approaches. Methods: The study included two groups, Group A and Group B, with 50 participants in each group.(Group-A: Hemorrhoidectomy alone; Group-B: Hemorrhoidectomy with lateral sphincterotomy) Demographic characteristics, including age, gender, and duration of symptoms, were recorded and analyzed for both groups. The duration of surgery, intraoperative complications, post-operative complications, pain scores, analgesic requirements, time to return to normal activities, and patient satisfaction ratings were assessed and compared between the groups. Results: The demographic characteristics of the two groups did not show statistically significant differences. The duration of surgery, intraoperative complications, and post-operative complications were comparable between Group A and Group B. Group B demonstrated lower pain scores at 6 hours and 24 hours post-operation compared to Group A, with statistical significance observed at these time points. Analgesic requirements were higher in Group A compared to Group B. Group B exhibited a shorter time to return to normal activities, with statistical significance observed in this outcome. Patient satisfaction ratings did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that omitting lateral sphincterotomy in haemorrhoidectomy may result in reduced early post-operative pain, lower analgesic requirements, and a shorter time to return to normal activities without compromising patient satisfaction. These results support the consideration of lateral sphincterotomy omission as a viable approach in haemorrhoidectomy procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]