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The use of virtual reality to educate preoperative patients has a positive impact on nurses as well as patients undergoing treatment. It can help improve patient satisfaction and improve favorable outcomes by reducing patient anxiety and proving adequate knowledge about the procedure and possible outcomes to the patient. It also reduces burden on nursing staff and counsellors. Larger and more diverse cohort studies will help us understand the wider application of this tool on the patient population. It may be difficult to apply this tool on elderly patients with failing eyesight, multiple physical comorbidities. Also, there may be reduced acceptance of this modality by older nursing staff and practitioners who may prefer the traditional verbal version for counselling. We will benefit from a combined approach of using virtual reality apps with tradition one-on-one counselling to help alleviate patient concerns and improve patient and healthcare professional satisfaction., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

The chemical, structural, and morphological diversity of birnessite, a 2D layered MnO 2 , has opened avenues for its application as an electrocatalyst toward both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Among pristine birnessites prepared by different methods, the freestanding flakes (primary structure) obtained from molten salt (MS-KMnO) showed remarkable bifunctional activity as compared to samples with thicker plates or a hierarchical honeycomb-like (type-I secondary structure) morphology. While the ORR onset potential ( E onset ) and halfwave potential ( E 1/2 ) for MS-KMnO were recorded at 0.89 and 0.81 V vs RHE, respectively, the OER overpotential (η) was found to be 300 mV. We demonstrated heat-induced secondary structure evolution by modification of the molten salt method, which led to a decrease in activity. In contrast to previous studies, the Co-doped birnessite (Co-KMnO) prepared in molten salt showed lower bifunctional activity (ORR, E 1/2 = 0.72 V; OER, η= 460 mV) as compared to MS-KMnO. Co-KMnO showed an interwoven wrinkled sheet-like (type-II secondary structure) morphology, with Co 3+ present in both the in-layer and the interlayer. However, in Co-KMnO/360 prepared at a lower reaction temperature, the areal coverage of the type-II structure reduces, leading to an increase in ORR ( E 1/2 = 0.76 V) and OER (η = 440 mV) activity. The chronopotentiometry for 100 h at a constant OER current of 50 mA cm -2 showed an increase in potential from 1.62 to 1.89 V and the characterization of the sample post-treatment showed degradation of the layered structure in MS-KMnO. The samples obtained after 1000 CV cycles in both the ORR and the OER regions showed the formation of secondary structures with a substantial decrease in the Mn 3+ /Mn 4+ ratio. This study demonstrates that morphology tuning within the 2D birnessite system has a marked effect on its bifunctional activity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

8-Hydroxyquinoline and imidazole, two important N-heteroaromatic systems, have a strong affinity towards various anions via their acidic OH or NH protons. Three receptor ligands, 5-(1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazol-2-yl)quinolin-8-ol (1), 5-(benzo[ d ]thiazol-2-yl)quinolin-8-ol (2), and 4-(1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazol-2-yl)benzene-1,3-diol (3), were synthesized, and their fluoride (F - ) ion binding properties were investigated. These ligands could selectively bind F - ions, and their respective F - complexes, namely, 1-TBAF, 2-TBAF, and 3-TBAF (TBAF = tetrabutylammonium fluoride), were characterized using single crystal X-ray analysis, NMR, UV-vis, Hirshfeld surface (HS) analysis and computational studies. Their solid-state structural analysis revealed that in each case, the F - ion is strongly bound within the receptor molecule scaffold through NH, OH, and aryl-CH hydrogen bonding interactions. In the case of 1-TBAF and 3-TBAF, F - binding is further strengthened by the inclusion of water molecules, forming fluoride-water cluster complexes. 1 H NMR study exhibited the disappearance of NH and OH proton signals upon the addition of TBAF, indicating that the NH and OH protons are the primary sites for F - ion coordination. UV -vis absorbance spectra was used to study their lowest sensing limits towards F - ions. Ligands 1 and 2 showed good responsiveness towards F - ions at concentrations ≥0.5 μM, with obvious changes occurring at F - concentrations of 180 and 12 μM, respectively. HS analysis quantified non-covalent interatomic contacts between the atoms and fluoride ions, revealing that 1-TBAF contributed a maximum of 19.2% of all atoms⋯F contacts to the HS. Density functional theory studies were carried out on the 1-TBAF, 2-TBAF, and 3-TBAF crystal systems, and the band structure and total density of states of the systems were evaluated. The optical response of 2-TBAF was also investigated.

The self-assembled ferritin protein nanocage plays a pivotal role during oxidative stress, iron metabolism, and host-pathogen interaction by executing rapid iron uptake, oxidation and its safe-storage. Self-assembly creates a nanocompartment and various pores/channels for the uptake of charged substrates (Fe 2+ ) and develops a concentration gradient across the protein shell. This phenomenon fuels rapid ferroxidase activity by an upsurge in the substrate concentration at the catalytic sites. However, it is difficult to segregate the relative contributions of the catalytic sites and self-assembly towards rapid ferroxidase/mineralization activity owing to the inherent self-assembly propensity of ferritins. In the current work, 3-fold pore electrostatics of bacterioferritin from Mycobacterium tuberculosis were rationally altered by site-directed mutagenesis to generate self-assembled (E121A and E121Q) and assembly-defective (E121K and E121F) variants. In comparison to the autoxidation of Fe 2+ in buffer, the assembly-defective variants exhibited significantly faster ferroxidase/mineralization activity and O 2 consumption kinetics due to their functional catalytic sites, but failed to level-up with the self-assembled variants even at 100-fold higher Fe 2+ concentration. Only the self-assembled variants exhibited cooperativity in iron oxidation, maintained biomineral solubility, and protected DNA against the Fenton reaction. This report highlights the concerted effect of self-assembly and ferroxidase sites that propels the rapid Fe 2+ uptake, its oxidation and biomineralization in bacterioferritin. The findings also establish the importance of electrostatic guiding and nanoconfinement offered by ferritin self-assembly towards its enzymatic activity and antioxidative properties. Moreover, this work identifies the key electrostatic interactions ("hot-spots") at the subunit contact points that control the cage/pore formation, impart cage stability and influence ferritin's natural functions. Manipulation of hot-spot residues can be further extended towards the encapsulation of cargo, for various bio-medical applications, by strategically inducing its disassembly and subsequent reassembly through adjustments in ionic strength. This would bypass the need for extreme/harsh reaction conditions and minimize the loss of cargo/protein., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: DA, SG, DS and RKB declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Disclaimer: The authors are solely responsible for the data and the contents of the paper. In no way, the Honorary Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board Members, the Indian Society of Gastroenterology or the printer/publishers are responsible for the results/findings and content of this article.

Background: Polylactic acid (PLA) has been extensively used in tissue engineering. However, poor mechanical properties and low cell affinity have limited its pertinence in load bearing bone tissue regeneration (BTR) devices., Objective: Augmenting PLA with β-Tricalcium Phosphate (β-TCP), a calcium phosphate-based ceramic, could potentially improve its mechanical properties and enhance its osteogenic potential., Methods: Gels of PLA and β-TCP were prepared of different % w/w ratios through polymer dissolution in acetone, after which polymer-ceramic membranes were synthesized using the gel casting workflow and subjected to characterization., Results: Gel-cast polymer-ceramic constructs were associated with significantly higher osteogenic capacity and calcium deposition in differentiated osteoblasts compared to pure polymer counterparts. Immunocytochemistry revealed cell spreading over the gel-cast membrane surfaces, characterized by trapezoidal morphology, distinct rounded nuclei, and well-aligned actin filaments. However, groups with higher ceramic loading expressed significantly higher levels of osteogenic markers relative to pure PLA membranes. Rule of mixtures and finite element models indicated an increase in theoretical mechanical strength with an increase in β-TCP concentration., Conclusion: This study potentiates the use of PLA/β-TCP composites in load bearing BTR applications and the ability to be used as customized patient-specific shape memory membranes in guided bone regeneration., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest.

Visual rehabilitation following cataract surgery is often an overlooked aspect. Healthcare providers have an important role in the counselling of the patients undergoing cataract surgery in clearing all their doubts thus alleviating all their fears and anxiety related to the procedure which will eventually lead to faster and smoother visual rehabilitation. Using standardised communication techniques like CICARE combined with conventional nursing and pain scoring systems can provide an objective and effective method in patient counselling and building a rapport with the patient for a faster visual recovery., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lead halide perovskite and chalcogenide heterostructures which share the ionic and covalent interface bonding may be the possible materials in bringing phase stability to these emerging perovskite nanocrystals. However, in spite of significant successes in the development of halide perovskite nanocrystals, their epitaxial heterostructures with appropriate chalcogenide nanomaterials have largely remained unexplored. Keeping the importance of these materials in mind, herein, epitaxial nanocrystal heterostructures of CsPbBr 3 -PbSe are reported. The shape remained rhombic dodecahedral-tetrahedral, and the phase retained orthorhombic-cubic for CsPbBr 3 and PbSe nanocrystals, respectively. These are synthesized following the standard classical approach of heteronucleations of chalcogenide PbSe with CsPbBr 3 perovskite nanostructures and characterized with high-resolution electron microscopic imaging. With an ultrafast study, the hot charge transfer from CsPbBr 3 to PbSe is also established. As these are first of its kind nanostructures which are obtained with heteronucleation and growth of chalcogenides on halide perovskites, this finding is expected to open the roadmap for designing other heterostructures which are important for catalysis and photovoltaic applications.

Due to their large size and obligate nature, Cymothoid isopods inflict a high degree of tissue damage to fish. Still, they are understudied at an ecosystem level despite their global presence and ecological role. In this work, we collected fish host-isopod parasite data, along with their life history and ecological traits, from the northern part of the east coast of India and investigated patterns in host specialisation and preference of isopod parasites using a trait-based network perspective. We observed that the region of attachment of the parasite (buccal cavity, branchial cavity, and skin) and host fish ecology (schooling behaviour and habitat characteristics) influenced host specialisation and preference. We found that branchial cavity-attaching parasites preferred schooling, pelagic fishes, whereas buccal cavity-attaching parasites preferred mostly non-schooling, demersal fishes. Skin-attaching parasites were found to be generalists and had no preference based on our examined host traits., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), the most widespread nutritional disorder, is a persistent global health issue affecting millions, especially in resource-limited geographies. Oral iron supplementation is usually the first choice for exogenous iron administration owing to its convenience, effectiveness and low cost. However, commercially available iron supplementations are often associated with oxidative stress, gastrointestinal side effects, infections and solubility issues. Herein, we aim to address these limitations by employing ferritin proteins-self-assembled nanocaged architectures functioning as a soluble cellular iron repository-as a non-toxic and biocompatible alternative. Our in vitro studies based on PAGE and TEM indicate that bare ferritin proteins are resistant to gastric conditions but their cage integrity is compromised under longer incubation periods and at higher concentrations of pepsin, which is a critical component of gastric juice. To ensure the safe delivery of encapsulated iron cargo, with minimal cage disintegration/degradation and iron leakage along the gastrointestinal tract, we fabricated the surface of ferritin with chitosan. Further, the stoichiometry and absorptivity of iron-chelator complexes at both gastric and circumneutral pH were estimated using Job's plot. Unlike bipyridyl, deferiprone exhibited pH dependency. In vitro kinetics was studied to evaluate iron release from bare and chitosan-fabricated ferritins employing both reductive (in the presence of ascorbate and bipyridyl) and non-reductive (direct chelation by deferiprone) pathways to determine their bio-mineral stabilities. Chitosan-decorated ferritin displayed superior cage integrity and iron retention capability over bare ferritin in simulated gastric fluid. The ability of ferritins to naturally facilitate controlled iron release in conjugation with enteric coating provided by chitosan may mitigate the aforementioned side effects and enhance iron absorption in the intestine. The results of the current study could pave the way for the development of an oral formulation based on ferritin-caged iron bio-mineral that can be a promising alternative for the treatment of IDA, offering better therapeutic outcomes.

Ferritins are multimeric nanocage proteins that sequester/concentrate excess of free iron and catalytically synthesize a hydrated ferric oxyhydroxide bio-mineral. Besides functioning as the primary intracellular iron storehouses, these supramolecular assemblies also oversee the controlled release of iron to meet physiologic demands. By virtue of the reducing nature of the cytosol, reductive dissolution of ferritin-iron bio-mineral by physiologic reducing agents might be a probable pathway operating in vivo. Herein, to explore this reductive iron-release pathway, a series of quinone analogs differing in size, position/nature of substituents and redox potentials were employed to relay electrons from physiologic reducing agent, NADH, to the ferritin core. Quinones are well known natural electron/proton mediators capable of facilitating both 1/2 electron transfer processes and have been implicated in iron/nutrient acquisition in plants and energy transduction. Our findings on the structure-reactivity of quinone mediators highlight that iron release from ferritin is dictated by electron-relay capability (dependent on E 1/2 values) of quinones, their molecular structure (i.e., the presence of iron-chelation sites and the propensity for H-bonding) and the type/amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) they generate in situ. Juglone/Plumbagin released maximum iron due to their intermediate E 1/2 values, presence of iron chelation sites, the ability to inhibit in situ generation of H 2 O 2 and form intramolecular H-bonding (possibly promotes semiquinone formation). This study may strengthen our understanding of the ferritin-iron-release process and their significance in bioenergetics/O 2 -based cellular metabolism/toxicity while providing insights on microbial/plant iron acquisition and the dynamic host-pathogen interactions., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society for Biological Inorganic Chemistry (SBIC).)

There is an ever-evolving need of customized, anatomic-specific grafting materials for bone regeneration. More specifically, biocompatible and osteoconductive materials, that may be configured dynamically to fit and fill defects, through the application of an external stimulus. The objective of this study was to establish a basis for the development of direct inkjet writing (DIW)-based shape memory polymer-ceramic composites for bone tissue regeneration applications and to establish material behavior under thermomechanical loading. Polymer-ceramic (polylactic acid [PLA]/β-tricalcium phosphate [β-TCP]) colloidal gels were prepared of different w/w ratios (90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, and 50/50) through polymer dissolution in acetone (15% w/v). Cytocompatibility was analyzed through Presto Blue assays. Rheological properties of the colloidal gels were measured to determine shear-thinning capabilities. Gels were then extruded through a custom-built DIW printer. Space filling constructs of the gels were printed and subjected to thermomechanical characterization to measure shape fixity (R f ) and shape recovery (R r ) ratios through five successive shape memory cycles. The polymer-ceramic composite gels exhibited shear-thinning capabilities for extrusion through a nozzle for DIW. A significant increase in cellular viability was observed with the addition of β-TCP particles within the polymer matrix relative to pure PLA. Shape memory effect in the printed constructs was repeatable up to 4 cycles followed by permanent deformation. While further research on scaffold macro-/micro-geometries, and engineered porosities are warranted, this proof-of-concept study suggested suitability of this polymer-ceramic material and the DIW 3D printing workflow for the production of customized, patient specific constructs for bone tissue engineering., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Supported platinum nanoparticle catalysts are known to convert polyolefins to high-quality liquid hydrocarbons using hydrogen under relatively mild conditions. To date, few studies using platinum grafted onto various metal oxide (M x O y ) supports have been undertaken to understand the role of the acidity of the oxide support in the carbon-carbon bond cleavage of polyethylene under consistent catalytic conditions. Specifically, two Pt/M x O y catalysts (M x O y = SrTiO 3 and SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 ; Al = 3.0 wt %, target Pt loading 2 wt % Pt ∼1.5 nm), under identical catalytic polyethylene hydrogenolysis conditions ( T = 300 °C, P(H 2 ) = 170 psi, t = 24 h; M w = ∼3,800 g/mol, M n = ∼1,100 g/mol, Đ = 3.45, N branch/100C = 1.0), yielded a narrow distribution of hydrocarbons with molecular weights in the range of lubricants ( M w = < 600 g/mol; M n < 400 g/mol; Đ = 1.5). While Pt/SrTiO 3 formed saturated hydrocarbons with negligible branching, Pt/SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 formed partially unsaturated hydrocarbons (<1 mol % alkenes and ∼4 mol % alkyl aromatics) with increased branch density ( N branch/100C = 5.5). Further investigations suggest evidence for a competitive hydrocracking mechanism occurring alongside hydrogenolysis, stemming from the increased acidity of Pt/SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 compared to Pt/SrTiO 3 . Additionally, the products of these polymer deconstruction reactions were found to be independent of the polyethylene feedstock, allowing the potential to upcycle polyethylenes with various properties into a value-added product.

Doping, or incremental substitution of one element for another, is an effective way to tailor a compound's structure as well as its physical and chemical properties. Herein, we replaced up to 30% of Ni with Co in members of the family of layered LiNiB compounds, stabilizing the high-temperature polymorph of LiNiB while the room-temperature polymorph does not form. By studying this layered boride with in situ high-temperature powder diffraction, we obtained a distorted variant of LiNi 0.7 Co 0.3 B featuring a perfect interlayer placement of [Ni 0.7 Co 0.3 B] layers on top of each other─a structural motif not seen before in other borides. Because of the Co doping, LiNi 0.7 Co 0.3 B can undergo a nearly complete topochemical Li deintercalation under ambient conditions, resulting in a metastable boride with the formula Li 0.04 Ni 0.7 Co 0.3 B. Heating of Li 0.04 Ni 0.7 Co 0.3 B in anaerobic conditions led to yet another metastable boride, Li 0.01 Ni 0.7 Co 0.3 B, with a CoB-type crystal structure that cannot be obtained by simple annealing of Ni, Co, and B. No significant alterations of magnetic properties were detected upon Co-doping in the temperature-independent paramagnet LiNi 0.7 Co 0.3 B or its Li-deintercalated counterparts. Finally, Li 0.01 Ni 0.7 Co 0.3 B stands out as an exceptional catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of the vinyl C═C bond in 3-nitrostyrene, even in the presence of other competing functional groups. This research showcases an innovative approach to heterogeneous catalyst design by meticulously synthesizing metastable compounds.

We studied the mechanism underlying the solid-phase adsorption of a heavy rare-earth element (HREE, Yb) from acidic solutions employing MCM-22 zeolite, serving as both a layered synthetic clay mimic and a new platform for the mechanistic study of HREE adsorption on aluminosilicate materials. Mechanistic studies revealed that the adsorption of Yb(III) at the surface adsorption site occurs primarily through the electrostatic interaction between the site and Yb(III) species. The dependence of Yb adsorption on the pH of the solution indicated the role of surface charge, and the content of framework Al suggested that the Brønsted acid sites (BAS) are involved in the adsorption of Yb(III) ions, which was further scrutinized by spectroscopic analysis and theoretical calculations. Our findings have illuminated the roles of surface sites in the solid-phase adsorption of HREEs from acidic solutions.

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) represents a sleep-related impairment linked to upper airway function. The question of whether OSA drives obesity or if shared underlying factors contribute to both conditions remains unresolved. Hence, this present study aims to understand the interplay between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and obesity through in-depth analysis of anthropometric data within control subjects and OSA patients. Methodology A case-control study was conducted, which included 40 cases and 40 matched healthy controls. Study participants with reported symptoms of snoring, daytime drowsiness, or both were included in the study. All the study participants underwent comprehensive anthropometric assessments such as height, weight, body mass index (BMI), neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, skin-fold thickness, and thickness measurements of biceps, triceps, suprailiac, and subscapular muscles. Results Within the OSA group, significant disparities emerged in mean age, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and diverse fat accumulations encompassing visceral, subcutaneous, trunk, and subcutaneous leg fat. Notably, skin-fold thickness at specific sites - biceps, triceps, subscapula, and suprailiac - demonstrated considerable augmentation relative to the control group. Furthermore, mean values associated with height, weight, BMI, neck circumference, fat percentage, subcutaneous arm fat, entire arm composition, and trunk skeletal muscle either equaled or exceeded those in the control group. However, statistical significance was not attained in these comparisons. Conclusion This investigation underscored a pronounced correlation between numerous endpoints characterizing OSA patients and markers of obesity. Consequently, addressing altered levels of obesity-linked anthropometric variables through pharmacological interventions might hold promise as a pivotal strategy for improving symptoms associated with OSA., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Patial et al.)

Designing heterostructures of soft ionic nanocrystals with metallic or covalent nanostructures having epitaxial junctions in solution poses several fundamental challenges. Hence, in spite of large successes in developing lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, the chemistry of formation of their facet-directive epitaxial growth of noble metals cannot be explored yet. To address this, herein, epitaxial heterostructures of orthorhombic CsPbBr 3 and cubic Pt in multiple directional approaches are reported. Appropriate facets of perovskite nanocrystals and high-temperature reaction are the key parameters for obtaining such nanocrystal heterostructures. Interfacial planes at the junctions having ideal lattice matching helped in establishing the epitaxial relations of (110) of orthorhombic (space group Pbnm ) CsPbBr 3 with {020} of cubic Pt and again (011) of CsPbBr 3 with {111} of Pt. These results provided strong fundamental insights that ionic halide perovskite nanostructures and materials having different crystal phases can be placed in a single building block with continuous sublattice structures.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by a combination of structural issues in the upper airway and imbalances in the respiratory control system. While numerous studies have linked OSA with obesity, it remains uncertain whether leptin, a hormone associated with fat, plays a role in the functional and anatomical defects that lead to OSA. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether leptin levels could be used as a predictor of OSA syndrome (OSAS). Methodology A case-control observational study was conducted, enrolling study participants who reported obesity (BMI > 30) within the range of >30 to <35 kg/m 2 , along with a short neck and a history of snoring, excessive daytime drowsiness, fatigue, or insomnia. Leptin levels and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured in all individuals. Additionally, the study evaluated the severity of OSAS using indicators such as the STOP BANG scores, apnea-hypopnea index, uvula grade score, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores. Results A total of 80 participants (40 cases and 40 controls) were included in the study. The mean leptin and FBS levels were significantly higher in cases compared to controls. Moreover, leptin levels exhibited a significant correlation with the severity indices of OSAS. Conclusion The study findings indicate that individuals with higher leptin levels tend to exhibit more severe OSAS symptoms. Furthermore, these elevated leptin levels contribute to the worsening of various OSA symptoms. Larger controlled studies have suggested that pharmacologically restoring the altered leptin levels may serve as a beneficial adjunct to treatment for alleviating OSAS symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Patial et al.)

A new species of cirri-bearing ophichthidae eel Cirrhimuraena odishaensis sp. nov. is described here, on the basis of two specimens collected from the Palur canal and Talasari fish landing centre in Odisha, India. The distinguishing characters of Cirrhimuraena odishaensis sp. nov. that separate it from its congeners include the presence of a single row of mandibular teeth, origin of the dorsal fin directly above the midpoint of pectoral fin, vertebral counts (pre-dorsal 10, pre-anal 46-47, and total 160-162), and number of cirri (13) on the upper jaw. Morphologically Cirrhimuraena odishaensis shows close affinity with Cirrhimuraena yuanding and Cirrhimuraena orientalis. The new species differs from C. yuanding by origin of dorsal fin, number of intermaxillary and maxillary teeth, and length of head. The new species differs from C. orientalis with relatively higher vertebrae.

Early detection of brain tumor has an important role in further developing therapeutic outcomes, and hence functioning in endurance tolerance. Physically evaluating the various reversion imaging (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) images that are regularly distributed at the center is a problematic cycle. Along these lines, there is a significant need for PC-assisted strategies with improved accuracy for early detection of cancer. PC-backed brain cancer detection from MR images including growth location, division, and order processes. In recent years, many inquiries have turned to zero in traditional or outdated AI procedures for brain development findings. Presently, there has been an interest in using in-depth learning strategies to detect cerebral growths with an excellent accuracy and heart rate. This review presents a far-reaching audit of traditional AI strategies and in-depth study methods for diagnosing brain cancer. This research paper distinguishes three main benefits i.e. exhibition, estimation and measurements of brain tumour detection., Competing Interests: None

The cube shape of orthorhombic phase CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals possesses the ability of selective facet packing that leads to 1D, 2D, and 3D nanostructures. In solution, their transformation with linear one-dimensional packing to nanorods/nanowires is extensively studied. Here, multifacet coupling in two directions of the truncated cube nanocrystals to rod couples and then to single-crystalline rectangular rods is reported. With extensive high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image analysis, length and width directions of these nanorods are derived. For the seed cube structures, finding {110} and {002} facets has remained difficult as these possess the hexahedron symmetry and their size remains smaller; however, for nanorods, these planes and the ⟨110⟩ and ⟨001⟩ directions are clearly identified. From nanocrystal to nanorod formation, the alignment directions are observed as random (as shown in the abstract graphic), and this could vary from one to the other rods obtained in the same batch of samples. Moreover, seed nanocrystal connections are derived here as not random and are rather induced by addition of the calculated amount of additional Pb(II). The same has also been extended to nanocubes obtained from different literature methods. It is predicted that a Pb-bromide buffer octahedra layer was created to connect two cubes, and this can connect along one, two, or even more facets of cubes simultaneously to connect other cubes and form different nanostructures. Hence, these results here provide some basic fundamentals of seed cube connections, the driving force to connect those, trapping the intermediate to visualize their alignments for attachments, and identifying and establishing the orthorhombic ⟨110⟩ and ⟨001⟩ directions of the length and width of CsPbBr 3 nanostructures.

Perovskites (PVKs) have emerged as an exciting class of semiconducting materials owing to their magnificent photophysical properties and been used in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, etc. The growth of multidimensional nanostructures has revealed many exciting alterations in their optoelectronic properties compared to those of their bulk counterparts. In this work, we have spotlighted the influence of quantum confinement in CsPbBr 3 PVKs like the quantum dot (PQD), nanoplatelet (PNPL), and nanorod (PNR) on their charge transfer (CT) dynamics with 1,4-naphthoquinone (NPQ). The energy band alignment facilitates the transfer of both electrons and holes in the PNPL to NPQ, enhancing its CT rate, while only electron transfer in the PQD and PNR diminishes CT. The tunneling current across a metal-nanostructure-metal junction for the PNPL is observed to be higher than others. The higher exciton binding energy in the PNPL results in efficient charge transport by enhancing the mobility of the excited-state carrier and its lifetime compared to those of the PNR and PQD.

The self-assembled ferritin nanocages, nature's solution to iron toxicity and its low solubility, scavenge free iron to synthesize hydrated ferric oxyhydroxide mineral inside their central cavity by protein-mediated ferroxidase and hydrolytic/nucleation reactions. These complex processes in ferritin commence with the rapid influx of Fe 2+ ions via the inter-subunit contact points (i.e., pores/channels). Investigation of these pores as Fe 2+ uptake routes in ferritins remains a subject of intense research, in iron metabolism, toxicity, and bacterial pathogenesis, which are yet to be established in the bacterioferritin (BfrA) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ). The electrostatic properties of this protein indicate that the 4-fold and B-pores might serve as potential Fe 2+ entry routes. Therefore, in the current work, electrostatics at/along these pores was altered by site-directed mutagenesis to establish their role in Fe 2+ uptake/oxidation (ferroxidase activity) in Mtb BfrA. Despite forming self-assembled protein nanocompartment, these 4-fold and B-pore variants exhibited partial loss of ferroxidase activity and lower accumulation of transient species, which not only indicated their role in Fe 2+ entry but also suggested the existence of multiple pathways. Although the B-pore variants inhibited the rapid ferroxidase activity to a larger extent, they had minimal impact on their cage stability. The current work revealed the relative contribution of these pores toward rapid Fe 2+ uptake/oxidation and cage stability, possibly as consequences of their differential symmetry, number of modified residues (at each pore), and heme content. Therefore, these findings may help to understand the role of these pores in iron acquisition and Mtb proliferation under iron-limiting conditions to control its pathogenesis.

Understanding the iron accumulation process in ferritin protein nanocages has remained a centerpiece in the field of iron biochemistry/biomineralization, which ultimately has implications in health and diseases. Although mechanistic differences of iron acquisition and mineralization exist in the superfamily of ferritins, we describe the techniques that can be used to investigate the accumulation of iron in all the ferritin proteins by in vitro iron mineralization process. In this chapter, we report that the non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis coupled with Prussian blue staining (in-gel assay) can be useful to investigate the iron-loading efficiency in ferritin protein nanocage, by estimating the relative amount of iron incorporated inside it. Similarly, the absolute size of the iron mineral core and the amount of total iron accumulated inside its nanocavity can be determined by using transmission electron microscopy and spectrophotometry, respectively., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Radiation hazards are accountable for extensive damage in the biological system and acts as a public health burden. Owing to the rapid increasing in radiation technology, both Ionizing radiation (IR) from natural and man made source poses detrimental outcome to public health. IR releases free radicals which induces oxidative stress and deleterious biological damage by modulating radiation induced signalling intermediates. The efficacy of existing therapeutic approach and treatment strategy are limited owing to their toxicity and associated side effects. Indian system of traditional medicine is enriched with prospective phytochemicals with potential radioprotection ability., Purpose: The present review elucidated and summarized the potential role of plant derived novel chemical compound with prospective radioprotective potential., Method: So far as the traditional system of Indian medicine is concerned, plant kingdom is enriched with potential bioactive molecules with diverse pharmacological activities. We reviewed several compounds mostly secondary metabolites from plant origin using various search engines., Results: Both compounds from land plants and marine source exhibited antioxidant antiinflammatory, free radical scavenging ability. These compounds have tremendous potential in fine-tuning of several signalling intermediates, which are actively participated in the progression and development of a pathological condition associated with radiation stress., Conclusion: Development and explore of an operational radioprotective agent from originated from plant source that can be used as a novel molecular tool to eliminate the widespread damage caused by space exploration, ionizing radiation, nuclear war and radiotherapy has been significantly appreciated. Through extensive literature search we highlighted several compounds from both land plant and marine origin can be implemented for a better therapeutic potential against radiation induced injury. Furthermore, extensive clinical trials must be carried out in near future for better therapeutic modality and clinical efficacy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

The identification of ancient worked materials is one of the fundamental goals of lithic use wear analysis and one of the most important parts of understanding how stone tools were used in the past. Given the documented overlaps in wear patterns generated by different materials, it is imperative to understand how individual materials' mechanical properties might influence wear formation. Because isolating physical parameters and measuring their change is necessary for such an endeavor, controlled (rather than replicative) experiments combined with objective measurements of surface topography are necessary to better grasp how surface modifications formed on stone tools. Therefore, we used a tribometer to wear natural flint surfaces against five materials (bone, antler, beech wood, spruce wood, and ivory) under the same force, and speed, over one, three, and five hours. The study aimed to test if there is a correlation between surface modifications and the hardness of the worked material. We measured each raw material's hardness using a nano-indentation test, and we compared the surface texture of the flint bits using a 3D optical profilometer. The interfacial detritus powder was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope to look for abraded flint particles. We demonstrate that, contrary to expectation, softer materials, such as wood, create a smoother surface than hard ones, such as ivory., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Competing Interests: None

The present report provides the first material evidence of  Nerocila orbignyi  (Guérin-Méneville, 1832) collected from two different landing centres of the Chilika lagoon, thus claiming the first report of this parasite from India. One of the specimens was recorded from the host fish species  Plotosus canius  Hamilton 1822, constituting the first host record for this isopod. A key for the identification of  N. orbignyi among its congeners is also provided .  Molecular characterization of Cytochrome C Oxidase I (COI) gene of  N. orbignyi  was based on one specimen submitted for the first time to the NCBI database. This parasite is differentiated from the other available sequences of its related congeners retrieved from the NCBI and BOLD database by 26-34% in the Kimura 2 Parameter (K2P) distance and belongs to a separate cluster in Maximum likelihood (ML) tree analysis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestAuthors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2022.)

Regulated excited state energy and charge transfer play a pivotal role in nanoscale semiconductor device performance for efficient energy harvesting and optoelectronic applications. Herein, we report the influence of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) on the excited-state dynamics and charge transport properties of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs), CsPbBr 3 , and its anion-exchanged counterpart CsPbCl 3 with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). We report a drop in the FRET efficiency from ∼85% (CsPbBr 3 ) to ∼5% (CsPbCl 3 ) with QDs, inviting significant alteration in their charge transport properties. Using two-probe measurements we report substantial enhancement in the current for the blend structure of PNCs with QDs, originating from the reduced trap sites, compared to that of the pristine PNCs. The FRET-based upshot in the conduction mechanism with features of negative differential resistance and negligible hysteresis for CsPbBr 3 PNCs can add new directions to high performance-based photovoltaics and optoelectronics.

Supported noble metals offer key advantages over homogeneous catalysts for in vivo applications of parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization. However, their performance is compromised by randomization of parahydrogen spin order resulting from rapid hydrogen adatom diffusion. The diffusion on Pt surfaces can be suppressed by introduction of Sn to form Pt-Sn intermetallic phases. Herein, an unprecedented pairwise selectivity of 19.7 ± 1.1% in the heterogeneous hydrogenation of propyne using silica encapsulated Pt-Sn intermetallic nanoparticles is reported. This high level of selectivity exceeds that of all supported metal catalysts by at least a factor of 3. Moreover, the pairwise selectivity for alkyne hydrogenation is about 2 times higher than for alkene hydrogenation, an observation attributed to the higher coverage of the former and its effect on diffusion. Lastly, PtSn@mSiO 2 nanoparticles exhibited improved coking resistance, and any loss of activity is shown to be fully reversible through high-temperature oxidation-reduction cycling.

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is a transformative technology to reduce the carbon footprint of modern society. Single-site catalysts have been demonstrated as promising catalysts for CO 2 RR, but general synthetic methods for catalysts with high surface area and tunable single-site metal composition still need to be developed to unambiguously investigate the structure-activity relationship crossing various metal sites. Here, a generalized coordination-condensation strategy is reported to prepare single-atom metal sites on ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) with high surface areas (average 800 m 2  g -1 ). This method is applicable to a broad range of metal sites (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pt, Pd, Ru, and Rh) with loadings up to 4 wt.%. In particular, the CO 2 RR to carbon monoxide (CO) Faradaic efficiency (FE) with Ni single-site OMC catalyst reaches 95%. This high FE is maintained even under large current density (>140 mA cm -2 ) and in a long-term study (14 h), which suits the urgently needed large-scale applications. Theoretical calculations suggest that the enhanced activity on single-atom Ni sites results from balanced binding energies between key intermediates, COOH and CO, for CO 2 RR, as mediated by the coordination sphere., (© 2022 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The essence of bionanotechnology lies in the application of nanotechnology/nanomaterials to solve the biological problems. Quantum dots and nanoparticles hold potential biomedical applications, but their inherent problems such as low solubility and associated toxicity due to their interactions at nonspecific target sites is a major concern. The self-assembled, thermostable, ferritin protein nanocages possessing natural iron scavenging ability have emerged as a potential solution to all the above-mentioned problems by acting as nanoreactor and nanocarrier. Ferritins, the cellular iron repositories, are hollow, spherical, symmetric multimeric protein nanocages, which sequester the excess of free Fe(II) and synthesize iron biominerals (Fe 2 O 3 ·H 2 O) inside their ∼5-8 nm central cavity. The electrostatics and dynamics of the pore residues not only drives the natural substrate Fe 2+ inside ferritin nanocages but also uptakes a set of other metals ions/counterions during in vitro synthesis of nanomaterial. The current review aims to report the recent developments/understanding on ferritin structure (self-assembly, surface/pores electrostatics, metal ion binding sites) and chemistry occurring inside these supramolecular protein cages (protein mediated metal ion uptake and mineralization/nanoparticle formation) along with its surface modification to exploit them for various nanobiotechnological applications. Furthermore, a better understanding of ferritin self-assembly would be highly useful for optimizing the incorporation of nanomaterials via the disassembly/reassembly approach. Several studies have reported the successful engineering of these ferritin protein nanocages in order to utilize them as potential nanoreactor for synthesizing/incorporating nanoparticles and as nanocarrier for delivering imaging agents/drugs at cell specific target sites. Therefore, the combination of nanoscience (nanomaterials) and bioscience (ferritin protein) projects several benefits for various applications ranging from electronics to medicine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Due to their uniqueness in tunable photophysics, transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) based quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as the next-generation quantum materials for technology-based semiconductor applications. This demands frontline research on the rational synthesis of the TMD QDs with controlled shape, size, nature of charge migration at the interface, and their easy integration in optoelectronic devices. In this article, with a controlled solution-processed synthesis of MoS 2 and WS 2 QDs, we demonstrate the disparity in their structural, optical, and electrical characteristics in bulk and confinement. With a series of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements in different media, we explore the uncommon photophysics of MoS 2 and WS 2 QDs such as excitation-dependent photoluminescence and assess their excited state charge transfer kinetics with a redox-active biomolecule, menadione (MQ). In comparison to the homogeneous aqueous medium, photoinduced charge transfer between the QDs and MQ becomes more plausible in encapsulated cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles. Current sensing atomic force microscopy (CS-AFM) measurements at a single molecular level reveal that the facilitated charge transfer of QDs with MQ strongly correlates with an enhancement in their charge transport behavior. An increase in charge transport further depends on the density of states of the QDs directing a change in Schottky emission to Fowler-Nordheim (FN) type of tunneling across the metal-QD-metal junction. The selective response of the TMD QDs while in proximity to external molecules can be used to design advanced optoelectronic devices and applications involving rectifiers and tunnel diodes for future quantum technology.

The effects of nitric oxide modulators (NO-modulators) and antioxidants on acute (RSx1) restraint stress induced endocrine, cellular and oxidative/nitrosative stress markers was studied in Wistar rats. The results of our study revealed that exposure to RS(x1) enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA), heat shock protein (HSP-70), corticosterone, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels and suppressed glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total nitrites and nitrates (NOx) levels. NO precursor and NO synthase inhibitors were found to differentially modulate stress mechanisms, by altering NF-κB, HSP-70 and corticosterone levels. l-Ascorbic acid significantly suppressed acute stress induced elevation of NF-κB and HSP-70 levels depicting protective effects, as also evidenced by reversal of elevated plasma corticosterone levels. Therefore, modulation of oxidative and nitrosative pathways, offers an approach in modulating stress induced changes associated with various disorders., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A platform is a business model that allows business-to-business (B2B) participants to connect, interacts, create and exchange value. B2B exploits social media for brand building and branding is vulnerable to attacks, which leads to a brand crisis. B2B should characterise such crisis and respond proportionally to avert damage to social listening (SL). To diminish damages, the solution is to measure customer experience (CX), especially in a crisis situation. The study proposes an analytics-enabled customer experience (AeCX) platform for emotion detection in social media and measures CX after recovering from such crisis, by exploring recovery time objective (RTO), recovery point objective (RPO), techno-business features (TBF), SL and perceived risk (PR). A quantitative research methodology is used on primary data collected from 302 B2B participants. The study reveals improvement in CX and the results provide evidence that social media channels and the TBF of AeCX have become important., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021.)

Ionizing radiation results in extensive damage to biological systems. The massive amount of ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents, radiation therapy (RT), space exploration, and the nuclear battlefield leads to damage to biological systems. Radiation injuries, such as inflammation, fibrosis, and atrophy, are characterized by genomic instability, apoptosis, necrosis, and oncogenic transformation, mediated by the activation or inhibition of specific signaling pathways. Exposure of tumors or normal cells to different doses of ionizing radiation could lead to the generation of free radical species, which can release signal mediators and lead to harmful effects. Although previous FDA-approved agents effectively mitigate radiation-associated toxicities, their use is limited due to their high cellular toxicities. Preclinical and clinical findings reveal that phytochemicals derived from plants that exhibit potent antioxidant activities efficiently target several signaling pathways. This review examined the prospective roles played by some phytochemicals in altering signal pathways associated with radiation response.

Physical insights related to ion equilibrium involved in the synthesis of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals remain key parameters for regulating the phase stability and luminescence intensity of these emerging materials. These have been extensively studied since the development of these nanocrystals, and different reaction processes controlling the formation of CsPbX 3 nanocrystals are largely understood. However, growth kinetics related to the formation of these nanocrystals have not been established yet. Hence, more fundamental understanding of the formation processes of these nanocrystals is urgently required. Keeping these in mind and emphasizing the most widely studied nanocrystals of CsPbBr 3 , different equilibrium processes involved in their synthesis for phase and composition variations are summarized and discussed in this Perspective. In addition, implementations of these findings for shape modulations by growth are discussed, and several new directions of research for understanding more fundamental insights are also presented.

The parasitic isopod Cymothoa indica Schiöedte and Meinert, 1884 was recorded from the buccal cavity of the host Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton, 1822) collected from Chilka Lake, Odisha in 1924, but its identification was doubtful as mentioned by the author in his book on "Fauna of Chilika Lake: Tanaidacea and Isopoda". The present report of parasitic isopod  C. indica  from the buccal cavity of the host Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier, 1833 collected from the water of Bay of Bengal, Gopalpur-on-Sea confirms its occurrence along the Odisha coast. The record of the isopod parasite Norileca indica (H. Milne Edwards, 1840) from the branchial cavity of the host Atule mate (Cuvier, 1833) collected from the water of Bay of Bengal, Gopalpur-on-Sea is the first record of this parasite from the coastal water of Odisha, India. The record of Nerocila arres Bowman and Tareen, 1983 from the caudal peduncle of the host fish species Terapon puta Cuvier, 1829, and the isopod N. depressa Milne Edwards, 1840 from the host fish species Megalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus, 1758) are the new host records for these respective parasites., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict interests., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2021.)

The uptake and utilization of iron remains critical for the survival/virulence of the host/pathogens in spite of the limitations (low bioavailability/high toxicity) associated with this nutrient. Both the host and pathogens manage to overcome these problems by utilizing the iron repository protein nanocages, ferritins, which not only sequester and detoxify the free Fe(II) ions but also decrease the iron solubility gap by synthesizing/encapsulating the Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide biomineral in its central hollow nanocavity. Bacterial pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ), the causative agent of tuberculosis, encode a distinct subclass of ferritins called bacterioferritin (BfrA), which binds heme, the versatile redox cofactor, via coaxial, conserved methionine (M52) residues at its subunit-dimer interfaces. However, the exact role of heme in Mtb BfrA remains yet to be established. Therefore, its coaxial ligands were altered via site-directed mutagenesis, which resulted in both heme-bound (M52C; ∼1 heme per cage) and heme-free (M52H and M52L) variants, indicating the importance of M52 residues as preferential heme binding axial ligands in Mtb BfrA. All these variants formed intact nanocages of similar size and iron-loading ability as that of wild-type (WT) Mtb BfrA. However, the as-isolated heme-bound variants (WT and M52C) exhibited enhanced protein stability and reductive iron mobilization as compared to their heme-free analogues (M52H and M52L). Further, increasing the heme content in BfrA variants by reconstitution not only enhanced the cage stability but also facilitated the iron mobilization, suggesting the role of heme. In contrary, heme altered the ferroxidase activity to a lesser extent despite facilitating the accumulation of the reactive intermediates formed during the course of the reaction. The current study suggests that heme in Mtb BfrA enhances the overall stability of the protein and possibly acts as an intrinsic electron relay station to influence the iron mineral dissolution and thus may be associated with Mtb 's pathogenicity.

Alcoholism is a serious disorder that poses a problem for modern society, but the detection of alcoholism has no widely accepted standard tests or procedures. If alcoholism goes undetected at its early stages, it can create havoc in the patient's life. An electroencephalography (EEG) is a method used to measure the brain's electrical activity and can detect alcoholism. EEG signals are complex and multi-channel and thus can be difficult to interpret manually. Several previous works have tried to classify a subject as alcoholic or control (non-alcoholic) based on EEG signals. Such works have mainly used machine learning or statistical techniques along with handcrafted features such as entropy, correlation dimension, Hurst exponent. With the growth in computational power and data volume worldwide, deep learning models have recently been gaining momentum in various fields. However, only a few studies are available on the application of deep learning models for the classification of alcoholism using EEG signals. This paper proposes a deep learning architecture that uses a combination of fast Fourier transform (FFT), a convolution neural network (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and a recently proposed attention mechanism for extracting Spatio-temporal features from multi-channel EEG signals. The proposed architecture can classify a subject as an alcoholic or control with a high degree of accuracy by analyzing EEG signals of that subject and can be used for automating alcoholism detection. The analytical results using the proposed architecture show a 98.83% accuracy, making it better than most state-of-the-art algorithms., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The increase of the stability of perovskite nanocrystals with respect to exposure to polar media, layers growth, or shelling with different materials is in demand. While these are widely studied for metal chalcogenide nanocrystals, it has yet to be explored for perovskite nanocrystals. Even growth of a single monolayer on any facet or on the entire surface of these nanocrystals could not be established yet. To address this, herein, a secondary growth approach leading to creation of a secondary lattice with subsequent expansion on preformed CsPbBr 3 perovskite nanocrystals is reported. As direct layer growth by adding precursors was not successful, Cs-lattice extension to preformed CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals was performed by coupling CsBr to these nanocrystals. Opening both {110}/{002} and {200} facets of parent CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals, CsBr was observed to be connected with lattice matching to the {200} facets. Further with Pb(II) incorporation, the Cs-sublattices of CsBr were expanded to CsPbBr 3 and led to cube-couple nanocrystals. However, as cubes in these nanostructures were differently oriented, these showed lattice mismatch at their junctions. This lattice mismatch though restricted complete shelling but successfully favored the secondary growth on specific facets of parent CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals. Details of this secondary growth via lattice extension and expansion are microscopically analyzed and reported. These results further suggest that lead halide perovskite nanocrystals can be epitaxially grown under proper reaction design and more complex as well as heterostructures of these materials can be fabricated to meet the current demands.

The biological consequences associated with the conversion of soluble proteins into insoluble toxic amyloids are not only limited to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases but also to the potential health risks associated with supplements of protein therapeutic agents as well. Hence, finding inhibitors against amyloid formation is important, and natural product-based anti-amyloid compounds have gained much interest because of their higher efficacy and biocompatibility. Plumbagin has been identified as a potential natural product with multiple medical benefits; however, it remains largely unclear whether plumbagin can act against amyloid formation of proteins. Here, we show that plumbagin can effectively inhibit the temperature-induced amyloid aggregation of important proteins (insulin and serum albumin). Both experimental and computational data revealed that the presence of plumbagin in protein solutions, under aggregating conditions, promotes a direct protein-plumbagin interaction, which is predominantly stabilized by stronger H-bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Plumbagin-mediated retention of the native structures of proteins appears to play a crucial role in preventing their conversion into insoluble β-sheet-rich amyloid aggregates. More importantly, the addition of plumbagin into a suspension of protein fibrils triggered their spontaneous disassembly, promoting the release of soluble proteins. The results highlight that a possible synergistic effect via both the stabilization of protein structures and the restriction of the monomer recruitment at the fibril growth sites could be important for the mechanism of plumbagin's anti-aggregation effect. These findings may inspire the development of plumbagin-based formulations to benefit both the prevention and treatment of amyloid-related health complications.

The present record of different developmental stages of the parasite Mothocya renardi (Bleeker, 1857) and gravid female of Mothocya collettei Bruce, 1986 from different individuals of same host Strongylura leiura (Bleeker, 1850) collected from Bay of Bengal, Gopalpur-on-Sea, Odisha, India are the first record of these parasites from the northern part of east coast of India. The record of Mothocya collettei from the host Strongylura leiura is the first host record for this parasite., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict interests., (© Indian Society for Parasitology 2021.)

Purpose: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted medical professionals in all fields of medicine and surgery in their academic, clinical and surgical training. The impact of surgical training has been described as 'severe' by most ophthalmology residents worldwide due to their duties in COVID-19 wards, disruption of outpatient and camp services., Methods: Ophthalmic surgery demands utmost accuracy and meticulousness. Fine motor proficiencies, stereoscopic skills and hand-eye coordination required can only be achieved by practice. So, a multileveled structured wet-lab teaching schedule was prepared for the residents and implemented to bridge this gap between theory and practice at our tertiary care institute. A semester-wise training schedule was made with the proper distribution of wet-lab and simulator training. Surgeries like phacoemulsification, scleral buckling, pars plana lensectomy and vitrectomy, trabeculectomy and intravitreal injections were practised by the residents on the goat eyes. Simulator training was provided for phacoemulsification and vitrectomy to increase the hand-eye coordination of the residents., Results: Residents noticed improvement in their surgical skills and ambidexterity post wet-lab and simulator training . It also increased their confidence and provided essential surgical skills required to be used in the operation theater later., Conclusion: It is imperative that wet-lab training be included in the residency training programme in this COVID-19 era., Competing Interests: None

In vitro, reductive mobilization of ferritin iron using suitable electron transfer mediators has emerged as a possible mechanism to mimic the iron release process, in vivo. Nature uses flavins as electron relay molecules for important biological oxidation and oxygenation reactions. Therefore, the current work utilizes three flavin analogues: riboflavin (RF), flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), which differ in size and charge but have similar redox potentials, to relay electron from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) to ferritin mineral core. Of these, the smallest/neutral analogue, RF, released more iron (~ three fold) in comparison to the larger and negatively charged FMN and FAD. Although iron mobilization got marred during the initial stages under aerobic conditions, but increased with a greater slope at the later stages of the reaction kinetics, which gets inhibited by superoxide dismutase, consistent with the generation of O 2 ∙- in situ. The initial step, i.e., interaction of flavins with NADH played critical role in the iron release process. Overall, the flavin-mediated reductive iron mobilization from ferritins occurred via two competitive pathways, involving the reduced form of flavins either alone (anaerobic condition) or in combination with O 2 ∙- intermediate (aerobic condition). Moreover, faster iron release was observed for ferritins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis than from bullfrog, indicating the importance of protein nanocage and the advantages they provide to the respective organisms. Therefore, these structure-reactivity studies of flavins with NADH/O 2 holds significance in ferritin iron release, bioenergetics, O 2 -based cellular toxicity and may be potentially exploited in the treatment of methemoglobinemia. Smaller sized/neutral flavin analogue, riboflavin (RF) exhibits faster reactivity towards both NADH and O 2 generating more amount of O 2 ∙- and releases higher amount of iron from different ferritins, compared to its larger sized/negatively charged derivatives such as FMN and FAD.