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Nanostructured NiO and Li-ion doped NiO have been synthesized via a facile microwave technique and simulated using the first principle method. The effects of microwaves on the morphology of the nanostructures have been studied by Field Emission Spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction studies confirm the nanosize of the particles and favoured orientations along the (111), (200) and (220) planes revealing the cubic structure. The optical band gap decreases from 3.3 eV (pure NiO) to 3.17 eV (NiO doped with 1% Li). Further, computational simulations have been performed to understand the optical behaviour of the synthesized nanoparticles. The optical properties of the doped materials exhibit violet, blue and green emissions, as evaluated using photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. In the presence of Li-ions, NiO nanoparticles exhibit enhanced electrical capacities and better cyclability. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results show that with 1% Li as dopant, there is a marked improvement in the reversibility and the conductance value of NiO. The results are encouraging as the synthesized nanoparticles stand a better chance of being used as an active material for electrochromic, electro-optic and supercapacitor applications.

Introduction: Lung cancer is the pioneer among all the cancers and also the leading cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. In India unlike in western countries most patients are diagnosed at advanced stage (Stage III/Stage IV) which in turn adversely affects the patient prognosis and survival. Studying the proportion of the total lung cancer cases which will present in advanced stage and their clinical, pathological and radiological profile will give us an insight into the problem. Aim: To know the percentage incidence of patients presenting with advanced stage lung cancer (Stage IIIB/Stage IV) and to study the clinical, pathological and radiological profile of these patients along with treatment details and follow-up. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective study spanning four years from January 2013 to December 2016. All patients with a histopathological diagnosis of Stage IIIB and Stage IV lung cancer, treated during this period were included. Clinical features, radiological (X-ray and CT) findings, histopathological findings including immunohistochemistry if done, treatment modality and survival were analysed based on the information collected from the medical records. Results: Out of 82 cases diagnosed as advanced stage disease, complete clinical data was available for 67 cases which formed the material for the study. Of 67 patients, 47 were male and 20 were female forming a Male: Female ratio of 2.35:1. The mean age of the patients was 61.3 years. Patients presented with cough (59.7%), chest pain (34.3%) dyspnoea (29.8%), weight loss (17.9%), fever (16.4%), haemoptysis (11.9%). Histologically majority were Adenocarcinoma (ADC) (35.8%) followed by Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) (29.8%) small cell carcinoma (14.92%) and just one case of large cell carcinoma. Forty five cases (64.17%) presented with metastases. The most common site for metastasis was bone followed by brain. Three patients who tested positive for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mutation were treated with Erlotinib/Gefitinib. The remaining 64 cases were treated with regimens including combinations of premetrexed, platinum based compounds and etoposide. On follow-up 17 patients died during the course of the treatment. Conclusion: High proportion of lung cancer patients present at advanced stage. This demand for public awareness programs about the smoking hazards, early symptoms and importance of early treatment.

This paper discusses a Video Steganographic scheme that can provide approvable security with high computing speed, by embedding data in video frames. The technique of embedding data in a video file by using LSB before which the secret information is encrypted using symmetric XOR operation, thereby providing two layers of security. Data Hiding andExtraction procedure are experimented successfully. All experiments are done using Matlab 2010a simulation software. This method proves to be more efficient than other methods with the amount of data that can be embedded in it, showing a PSNR of above 30 dB.

Trophoblast mitochondria play important roles in placental energy metabolism, physiology and pathophysiology. Hyperandrogenism has been associated with mitochondrial abnormalities in pregnancy disorders such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and intrauterine growth restriction, but the direct impacts of androgen exposure on placental mitochondrial function are unknown. Given the inherent limitations of studying the human placenta during pregnancy, trophoblast cell lines are routinely used to model placental biology in vitro. The aim of this study was to characterize mitochondrial respiratory function in four commonly used trophoblast cell lines to provide a basis for selecting one well-suited to investigating the impact of androgens on trophoblast mitochondrial function. Androgen receptor expression, mitochondrial respiration (J O 2) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) release rates were evaluated in three human trophoblast cell lines (ACH-3P, BeWo and Swan-71) and one immortalized ovine trophoblast line (iOTR) under basal and substrate-stimulated conditions using high-resolution fluorespirometry. ACH-3P cells exhibited the greatest mitochondrial respiratory capacity and coupling efficiency of the four trophoblast lines tested, along with robust expression of androgen receptor protein that was found to co-localize with mitochondria by immunoblot and immunofluorescence. Acute testosterone administration (10 nM) tended to decrease ACH-3P mitochondrial J O 2 and increase ROS release, while chronic (7 days) testosterone exposure increased expression of mitochondrial proteins, J O 2 , and ROS release. These studies establish ACH-3P as a suitable cell line for investigating trophoblast mitochondrial function, and provide foundational evidence supporting links between hyperandrogenism and placental mitochondrial ROS production with potential relevance to several common pregnancy disorders. • Mitochondrial function varies widely across common trophoblast cell lines. • ACH-3P cells are a robust model for studies of placental mitochondrial function. • Testosterone exposure acutely increases trophoblast mitochondrial ROS release. • Chronic testosterone exposure increases trophoblast mitochondrial content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The infections of female genital tract, especially the cervix are asymptomatic in presentation and pose a diagnostic challenge. Vaginal infections can lead to cytoplasmic and nuclear abnormalities in the epithelial cells. Additionally, these infections could augur an inflammatory response of varying nature. The most common flora include Candida albicans, Gardnerella vaginalis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Human Herpes Virus (HHV) and Actinomyces sp. Aim: This study seeks to measure the role of Papanicolaou smear in detection of pathologic flora: Candida albicans, Gardnerella vaginalis, Trichomonas vaginalis, HPV, HHV and Actinomyces; in a rural health care set up amongst women in the reproductive and menopausal age group. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of cervical smears by Papanicolaou method, over a 14 month period was carried out in a tertiary care centre including a total number of 150 patients. Results: Of the total of 150 samples examined, Candida species was the most frequently detected (8.7%) followed by Trichomonas vaginalis (5.3%) and Gardnerella vaginalis species (4.7%). HPV-induced changes were noted in a mere 2% of cases. Actinomyces species was noted in less than 1% of cases. Conclusion: The Papanicolaou test for examining cervical smear has definite uses in detecting vaginal microorganisms. Apart from detection of the usual pathogenic flora, the test has utility in defining the degree of inflammation and additional reparative changes.

Introduction: Castleman Disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder with heterogenous clinical and pathological features. It is a rare disease with mention in the rare disease data of the orphanet. It can present as unicentric or multicentric disease. Hyaline vascular variant and plasma cell variant are the two pathological subtypes. Hyaline vascular variant accounts for nearly 80% to 90% of unicentric cases. Hyaline vascular subtype variant has follicular and stroma rich subtype. Aim: To study the histomorphologic spectrum of hyaline vascular variant of CD. Materials and Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional, observational study was undertaken from the archival data between January 2009 and April 2015. Only ten cases of hyaline vascular CD were identified after studying the histomorphological characteristics. Both follicular and interfollicular changes were studied in detail. Results: The age of presentation ranged from 17 years to 59 years. Seven out of 10 cases were female. Site of presentation included cervical, inguinal, retroperitoneal, intra-abdominal and axillary. Six cases showed predominant follicular change. Two cases were sclerotic subtype. Two cases showed both follicular and interfollicular changes in equal proportion. Distribution of follicles throughout the lymphnode was seen in eight cases. Uniform sized follicles seen in seven out of ten cases. Small germinal centre with lymphocyte depletion was one of the uniform features seen in all 10 cases. Numerous high endothelial vessels were seen in nine cases. Twinning of germinal centre was seen in two cases. All ten cases showed concentric rings of small lymphocytes. Lollipop pattern was relatively rare feature seen in only two cases. Conclusion: Hyaline vascular variant of CD has considerable morphologic variation with few consistent features seen in most of the cases.

Synchronous primary tumours of the aerodigestive tract presenting with different histologies is a very rare event. A case with such an association is presented here. A 50-year-old lady presented with symptoms of abdominal obstruction like abdominal pain, distention and vomiting since one month. Her radiological imaging and biopsies revealed a primary oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and primary gastric adenocarcinoma. Western medical literature has shown the occurrence of multiple synchronous cancers; however, cases from India have seldom been reported. Early screening, correct diagnosis and appropriate plans of management are crucial to reduce the morbidity and mortality of such patients who bear the burden of not just one, but multiple primary cancers.

Enzymes found in nature have been exploited in industry due to their inherent catalytic properties in complex chemical processes under mild experimental and environmental conditions. The desired industrial goal is often difficult to achieve using the native form of the enzyme. Recent developments in protein engineering have revolutionized the development of commercially available enzymes into better industrial catalysts. Protein engineering aims at modifying the sequence of a protein, and hence its structure, to create enzymes with improved functional properties such as stability, specific activity, inhibition by reaction products, and selectivity towards non-natural substrates. Soluble enzymes are often immobilized onto solid insoluble supports to be reused in continuous processes and to facilitate the economical recovery of the enzyme after the reaction without any significant loss to its biochemical properties. Immobilization confers considerable stability towards temperature variations and organic solvents. Multipoint and multisubunit covalent attachments of enzymes on appropriately functionalized supports via linkers provide rigidity to the immobilized enzyme structure, ultimately resulting in improved enzyme stability. Protein engineering and immobilization techniques are sequential and compatible approaches for the improvement of enzyme properties. The present review highlights and summarizes various studies that have aimed to improve the biochemical properties of industrially significant enzymes.

The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance has recommended integration of palliative care into primary health care. Diminished capacity to provide palliative care is a barrier for integration. The purpose of this study was to screen for palliative care needs in the community. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural communities of Udupi district. Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool – 4ALL (SPICT-4ALL) was used to identify the palliative care needs. Purposive sampling was used to collect the individual information from the households for identifying the palliative care need. Conditions requiring palliative care and the sociodemographic factors associated with it were explored. Out of 2041 participants, 51.49% were female, and 19.65% were elderly. Less than a quarter of them (23.08%) had at least one chronic illness. Hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease were commonly found. 4.31% had satisfied the requisite SPICT criteria, which indicated a need for palliative care. Diseases of cardiovascular system followed by dementia and frailty were the most common conditions requiring palliative care. Univariate analysis showed that age, marital status, years of education, occupation, and the presence of morbidities were significantly associated with the need for palliative care. Being unemployed and having one or more morbidities were factors independently associated with requirement of palliative care. The estimated palliative care need in the community survey exceeds the perceived need. Although palliative care is traditionally identified with cancer, the proportion of people with noncancer palliative care needs were significantly higher than cancer palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is the sole vector of Watermelon bud necrosis tospovirus, where the crop loss has been estimated to be around USD 50 million annually. Chemical insecticides are of limited use in the management of T. palmi due to the thigmokinetic behaviour and development of high levels of resistance to insecticides. There is an urgent need to find out an effective futuristic management strategy, where the small RNAs especially microRNAs hold great promise as a key player in the growth and development. miRNAs are a class of short non-coding RNAs involved in regulation of gene expression either by mRNA cleavage or by translational repression. We identified and characterized a total of 77 miRNAs from T. palmi using high-throughput deep sequencing. Functional classifications of the targets for these miRNAs revealed that majority of them are involved in the regulation of transcription and translation, nucleotide binding and signal transduction. We have also validated few of these miRNAs employing stem-loop RT-PCR, qRT-PCR and Northern blot. The present study not only provides an in-depth understanding of the biological and physiological roles of miRNAs in governing gene expression but may also lead as an invaluable tool for the management of thysanopteran insects in the future.

Introduction: Clear cell hidradenoma (CCH) is a rare benign tumor of sweat gland. It can mimic other diseases clinically, radiologically and histologically when found in axilla. Methods: A 62-year-old female presented with a solitary lump in the axillary tail of her breast. Differentials in clinical examination and imaging were breast neoplasm and lymph nodal mass. Results: The patient underwent preoperative diagnostic workup, and the lesion was suspicious of hidradenoma. She underwent wide excision of the lesion. The final histopathological examination was suggestive of CCH with extensive mucinous change. Conclusion: Even though rare, hidradenoma should always be kept as a differential when presented as a solitary painless swelling. The present case represents diagnostic challenges involved during the course of her management and accurate use of preoperative tools, which helped in the diagnosis of the case before the definitive treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient protocol has been developed for the root culture of (Cichorium intybus L. cv. Focus), the leaf and hypocotyl explants from 25 days old in vitro raised seedlings were cultured on half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), α-Napthalenacetic acid (NAA). 0.5 mg/l NAA and 0.1 mg/l IBA induced highest percentage of rooting from matured leaf explants, under total dark condition. After three weeks well established roots were separated. Fresh root tissue, in amount of 0.5 was subcultured in half-strength MS liquid medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l IBA, under continuous agitation at 110 rpm and total dark condition. The biomass of root culture was increased to 5.820 g after 6 weeks of culture. The root culture was maintained up to the 8 weeks.

This paper describes efficient propagation of Artemisia vulgaris using shoot tip explants isolated from 35 daysold in vitro grown seedlings. Optimum proliferation was obtained on Murashige and Skoogs salts and B5 vitamins supplementedwith 3% sucrose, 4.44 μM BA, and 0.7% agar. Shoot proliferation was maximal (99.8%) with 14-23 shoots per explant after6 weeks of culture. Shoots with a minimum length of 1.5 cm were transferred to shoot elongation medium supplemented with0.44 μM BA and 1.44 μM GA3. The successfully elongated shoots with a height of 7.2-12.1 cm were transferred to rootingmedium augmented with 8.56 μM IAA. Rooted plantlets were transferred to plastic cups containing autoclaved garden soil,farmyard soil and sand (2:1:1) for hardening. Plantlets were initially maintained under culture room conditions (5 weeks),followed by normal laboratory conditions (4 weeks) and finally transferred to a Botanical Evaluation Garden and maintainedthere.

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). Although it is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID), there are, as yet, no effective pharmacotherapies. The Ts65Dn mouse model of DS is trisomic for orthologs of ∼55% of Hsa21 classical protein coding genes. These mice display many features relevant to those seen in DS, including deficits in learning and memory (L/M) tasks requiring a functional hippocampus. Recently, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, memantine, was shown to rescue performance of the Ts65Dn in several L/M tasks. These studies, however, have not been accompanied by molecular analyses. In previous work, we described changes in protein expression induced in hippocampus and cortex in control mice after exposure to context fear conditioning (CFC), with and without memantine treatment. Here, we extend this analysis to Ts65Dn mice, measuring levels of 85 proteins/protein modifications, including components of MAP kinase and MTOR pathways, and subunits of NMDA receptors, in cortex and hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice after failed learning in CFC and after learning was rescued by memantine. We show that, compared with wild type littermate controls, (i) of the dynamic responses seen in control mice in normal learning, >40% also occur in Ts65Dn in failed learning or are compensated by baseline abnormalities, and thus are considered necessary but not sufficient for successful learning, and (ii) treatment with memantine does not in general normalize the initial protein levels but instead induces direct and indirect responses in approximately half the proteins measured and results in normalization of the endpoint protein levels. Together, these datasets provide a first view of the complexities associated with pharmacological rescue of learning in the Ts65Dn. Extending such studies to additional drugs and mouse models of DS will aid in identifying pharmacotherapies for effective clinical trials.

The BaM6PI gene encoding a mannose-6-phosphate isomerase (M6PI, EC 5.3.1.8) was cloned from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DSM7 and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme activity of BaM6PI was optimal at pH and temperature of 7.5 and 70°C, respectively, with a kcat/Km of 13,900 s-1 mM-1 for mannose-6-phosphate (M6P). The purified BaM6PI demonstrated the highest catalytic efficiency of all characterized M6PIs. Although M6PIs have been characterized from several other sources, BaM6PI is distinguished from other M6PIs by its wide pH range and high catalytic efficiency for M6P. The binding orientation of the substrate M6P in the active site of BaM6PI shed light on the molecular basis of its unusually high activity. BaM6PI showed 97% substrate conversion from M6P to fructose-6-phosphate demonstrating the potential for using BaM6PI in industrial applications.

Medical imaging modalities play a vital role in the healthcare sector for disease diagnosis and prediction. Optical Coherence Tomography uses near-infrared rays for generating cross-sectional images of the retina. Edge detection is a traditionalROI extractionalgorithm thatextracts the boundary of objects in an image. This research work focuses on the gauss gradient-based edge detection model for boundary detection in Optical Coherence Tomography images of the retina. The separable feature of a 2D Gaussian kernel is used, and a 1D kernel for the x and y directions is created. The Gaussian kernel utilized in this research work is the convolution result of Gaussian function and first-order derivative of Gaussian function. For performance validation, the Berkeley segmentation data set was utilized, when compared to traditional edge detection models, and better results were obtained for the gauss gradient algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at evaluating newly developed hybrids and recently introduced cultivars of French grapes grown in mild tropics of South India for quality wine production. Wines produced from French grapes, viz., Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Ugni Blanc scored 15.0 -16.8 in the Davis Score Card for organoleptic analysis. Wines from red Hybrid 18/10 possessed phenolic content of 2097mg/l, had a brilliant colour and sensory score of 13.1. Hybrid 23/2 gave good quality white, dry table wines with a sensory score of 13.4.

A comparative study of the aroma profile of an alcoholic beverage (wine) and natural juice from banana cv. Robusta was performed. The study showed disappearance and synthesis of many aroma compounds during the fermentation process. Relative abundance of carbonyl compounds was high in the juice, and carboxylic acid content was higher in the wine. Aroma signature compounds of banana juice, isoamyl acetate, butyl isovalerate, isopentyl isovalerate, trans- 2- hexenal and butanoates were present only in a low proportion in the wine, while decanoic, dodecanoic and hexa decanoic acids (as well as their esters) were abundant in the banana wine. Synthesis compounds like methyl nonyl ketone, isoeuginol and 2-methoxy 4-vinyl phenol was greater during fermentation. Elemicin was present in high quantity in both the juice and the wine.

The envelope protein (E1-E2) of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major component of the viral structure. The glycosylated envelope protein is considered to be important for initiation of infection by binding to cellular receptor(s) and also known as one of the major antigenic targets to host immune response. The present study was aimed at identifying mouse monoclonal antibodies which inhibit binding of virus like particles of HCV to target cells. The first step in this direction was to generate recombinant HCV-like particles (HCV-LPs) specific for genotypes 3a of HCV (prevalent in India) using the genes encoding core, E1 and E2 envelop proteins in a baculovirus expression system. The purified HCV-LPs were characterized by ELISA and electron microscopy and were used to generate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in mice. Two monoclonal antibodies (E8G9 and H1H10) specific for the E2 region of envelope protein of HCV genotype 3a, were found to reduce the virus binding to Huh7 cells. However, the mAbs generated against HCV genotype 1b (D2H3, G2C7, E1B11) were not so effective. More importantly, mAb E8G9 showed significant inhibition of the virus entry in HCV JFH1 cell culture system. Finally, the epitopic regions on E2 protein which bind to the mAbs have also been identified. Results suggest a new therapeutic strategy and provide the proof of concept that mAb against HCV-LP could be effective in preventing virus entry into liver cells to block HCV replication.