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Background: Postoperative wound infection may be due to many causes, of which “microbial contamination” is the factor that is influenced by antibiotic administration. Since the concept of antimicrobial prophylaxis has emerged, several workers have searched for optimal antimicrobial drugs, their routes, and the timing of their administration, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero sepsis. The use of preoperative systemic antibiotics has brought down the incidence of wound infection considerably. Aims and Objectives: The aim is to identify which drug is the best option for single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent postoperative wound infection. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study. The study was conducted in the surgical ward of J.A. Group of Hospitals, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, from May 2020 to April 2022. Patients of all sexes and ages were included in the study. Patients were divided into five groups according to a class of antibiotics. The study consisted of a total of 125 patients admitted to the surgical ward. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences–(10 systems) was applied for the study. P

Objectives: To compare the utility of transillumination device with traditional vein viewing in situations with difficult peripheral venous access in pediatric patients., Methods: This was a nonrandomized, controlled trial. All the children aged between 3 to 36 mo admitted in tertiary care referral hospital, who satisfied difficult intravenous access (DIVA) score of equal to or more than 4 were included in the study. The children were assigned to transillumination device group (intervention) and traditional vein viewing group (traditional). The proportion of successful cannulation in the first attempt and median number attempts required to successfully cannulate in each group were estimated., Results: A total of 509 children were included in the study. The proportion of single attempt cannulation was significantly higher in the intervention group as compared to traditional group (p value = 0.001). The median number of attempts to successfully cannulate was found to be significantly less in the interventional group (median 1 vs. 2; p value = 0.001). On bivariate analysis, use of transillumination device was found to have a 2.64 times higher likelihood to successfully cannulate in the first attempt., Conclusion: The use of transillumination device significantly improves the first attempt success rate and number of attempts for successful cannulation., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation.)

Background: Global phase III trials have established the effectiveness and the safety profile of 5 and 10 mg twice-daily regimens of Tofacitinib for the management of psoriasis., Aims and Objectives: This study was aimed at assessing the improvement in quality of life in patients suffering from moderate-to-severe psoriasis following 12-week Tofacitinib therapy., Materials and Methods: 50 adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis enrolled with informed consent. Tofacitinib was given orally for 12 weeks, as 5 mg or 10 mg twice daily based on weight. Improvement in PASI and DLQI was recorded., Results: We observed a statistically significant improvement in PASI (p-value < 0.001) and DLQI (p-value < 0.001) following Tofacitinib therapy. The 3 domains of DLQI with the most significant improvement were symptoms and feelings (items 1 and 2) (p-value-0.001), daily activities (items 3 and 4) (p-value-0.0001), and treatment (item 10) (p-value-0.0001)., Conclusion: Tofacitinib demonstrated a significant improvement in psoriasis disease severity and symptoms with 12 weeks' therapy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Indian Journal of Dermatology.)

Arsenic (As) exposure is progressively associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a leading public health concern present worldwide. The adverse effect of As exposure on the kidneys of people living in As endemic areas have not been extensively studied. Furthermore, the impact of only prenatal exposure to As on the progression of CKD also has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we examined the effect of prenatal exposure to low doses of As 0.04 and 0.4 mg/kg body weight (0.04 and 0.4 ppm, respectively) on the progression of CKD in male offspring using a Wistar rat model. Interestingly, only prenatal As exposure was sufficient to elevate the expression of profibrotic (TGF-β1) and proinflammatory (IL-1α, MIP-2α, RANTES, and TNF-α) cytokines at 2-day, 12- and 38-week time points in the exposed progeny. Further, alteration in adipogenic factors (ghrelin, leptin, and glucagon) was also observed in 12- and 38-week old male offspring prenatally exposed to As. An altered level of these factors coincides with impaired glucose metabolism and homeostasis accompanied by progressive kidney damage. We observed a significant increase in the deposition of extracellular matrix components and glomerular and tubular damage in the kidneys of 38-week-old male offspring prenatally exposed to As. Furthermore, the overexpression of TGF-β1 in kidneys corresponds with hypermethylation of the TGF-β1 gene-body, indicating a possible involvement of prenatal As exposure-driven epigenetic modulations of TGF-β1 expression. Our study provides evidence that prenatal As exposure to males can adversely affect the immunometabolism of offspring which can promote kidney damage later in life., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Singh, Tiwari, Sharma, Khan, Gangopadhyay, Singh, Koshta, Shukla, Arjaria, Mandrah, Jagdale, Patnaik, Roy, Singh, Giri and Srivastava.)

Background: Structural analogues used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) since the introduction of new regulatory restrictions are considered emerging environmental toxicants and remain understudied with respect to their biological actions and health effects. Studies reveal a link between BPA exposure and vascular disease in human populations, whereas the vascular effects of BPA substitutes remain largely unknown., Objectives: To determine the effect of BPS, a commonly used BPA substitute, on redox balance, nitric oxide (NO) availability and microvascular NO-dependent dilation., Methods: In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO after exposure to BPS was measured using fluorescent probes for DCFDA and DAF-FM diacetate, respectively. The contribution of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) uncoupling to ROS generation was determined by measuring ROS in the presence or absence of an eNOS inhibitor (L-NAME) or eNOS co-factor, BH4, while the contribution of mitochondria-derived ROS was determined by treating cells with mitochondria-specific antioxidants prior to BPS exposure. Bioenergetic profiles were assessed using Seahorse extracellular flux analysis and mitochondria membrane polarization was measured with TMRE and JC-1 assays. In a mouse model of low dose BPS exposure, NO-mediated endothelial function was assessed in pressurized microvessels by inducing endothelium-dependent dilation in the presence or absence of L-NAME., Results: BPS exposure (≥25 nM) reduced NO and increased ROS production in HUVEC, the latter corrected by treating cells with L-NAME or BH4. BPS exposure led to a loss of mitochondria membrane potential but had no impact on bioenergetic parameters except for a decrease in the spare respiratory capacity. Treatment of HUVEC with mitochondria-specific antioxidants abolished the effect of BPS on NO and ROS. NO-mediated vasodilation was impaired in male mice exposed to BPS., Discussion: Exposure to BPS may promote cardiovascular disease by perturbing NO-mediated vascular homeostasis through the induction of oxidative stress., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jennifer Thompson reports financial support was provided by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Jennifer Thompson reports financial support was provided by Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. Liam Connors, Taylor Scheidl reports financial support was provided by Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Mitochondria play a central role in maintaining cellular and metabolic homeostasis during vital development cycles of foetal growth. Optimal mitochondrial functions are important not only to sustain adequate energy production but also for regulated epigenetic programming. However, these organelles are subtle targets of environmental exposures, and any perturbance in the defined mitochondrial machinery during the developmental stage can lead to the re-programming of the foetal epigenetic landscape. As these modifications can be transferred to subsequent generations, we herein performed a cross-sectional study to have an in-depth understanding of this intricate phenomenon. The study was conducted with two arms: whereas the first group consisted of in utero pro-oxidant exposed individuals and the second group included controls. Our results showed higher levels of oxidative mtDNA damage and associated integrated stress response among the exposed individuals. These disturbances were found to be closely related to the observed discrepancies in mitochondrial biogenesis. The exposed group showed mtDNA hypermethylation and changes in allied mitochondrial functioning. Altered expression of mitomiRs and their respective target genes in the exposed group indicated the possibilities of a disturbed mitochondrial-nuclear cross talk. This was further confirmed by the modified activity of the mitochondrial stress regulators and pro-inflammatory mediators among the exposed group. Importantly, the disturbed DNMT functioning, hypermethylation of nuclear DNA, and higher degree of post-translational histone modifications established the existence of aberrant epigenetic modifications in the exposed individuals. Overall, our results demonstrate the first molecular insights of in utero pro-oxidant exposure associated changes in the mitochondrial-epigenetic axis. Although, our study might not cement an exposure-response relationship for any particular environmental pro-oxidant, but suffice to establish a dogma of mito-epigenetic reprogramming at intrauterine milieu with chronic illness, a hitherto unreported interaction., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In the present era, 28 days of repeated-dose-toxicity study following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines 407 is compulsory for every drug to go through phase 1 clinical trials. The increasing demand for high-resistant starch containing nutraceuticals and the applicability of modified starch in development of targeted drug delivery inspired us to investigate the toxic profile of mandua starch chemically cross-linked by epichlorohydrin and compare it with alkali-isolated starch in healthy adult Swiss albino mice, which can be the first step for exploring the use of epichlorohydrin-cross-linked mandua starch (ECC-MS) as a pharmaceutical excipient. Histopathological examinations of the kidney and liver did not expose noteworthy abnormalities in the treated mice. There were no clinical and mortality symptoms of toxicity observed during the repeated-dose-toxicity study. The oral consumption of ECC-MS did not pose any harm as it was neither lethal nor had any harmful hematological, biochemical, psychological, anatomical, and behavioral effects. The use of ECC-MS and alkali-isolated mandua starch (AMS) was found safe at a dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight in the acute toxicity study and at doses of 2000, 1500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight in the sub-acute toxicity study as no detrimental effects were observed after oral administration in mice for 14 and 28 days, respectively., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Prenatal and postnatal life stress could be a potent programmer of phenotype or disease state of an individual in the later life. Prenatal arsenic exposure has been shown to promote developmental defects, low birth weight, immunotoxicity and is associated with various cancers including skin cancer in adulthood. To investigate the association between prenatal arsenic exposure and adult life skin carcinogenesis, we used a two-stage cutaneous carcinogenesis model in which BALB/c mice were prenatally exposed to 0.04 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg arsenic (As). Exposure to arsenic was sufficient to shorten the tumor latency period and promote epidermal hyperplasia in the offspring upon challenge with dimethylbenz[a]/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (DMBA/TPA). The levels of inflammatory and tissue microenvironment remodeling factors such as IL-1α and TNF-α were persistently elevated in the skin, and their inhibition through diacerein led to a significant decrease in the tumor response, suggesting their role in tumorigenesis. While there was overexpression of multiple epigenetic regulators at tissue level, we found decreased enrichment of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) member EZH2 and H3K27me3 mark at the upstream of the affected inflammatory genes. The higher expression of the inflammatory genes suggests the gene specific selective nature of EZH2 repression which was also associated with increased binding of the activator KDM6a (demethylase). Further, arsenic conditioned basal keratinocytes cells (BKCs) showed increased migration and proliferation along with higher expression of tumor associated cytokines. Inhibition of EZH2 in the BKCs lead to their further upregulation suggesting that BKCs might be the potential cell type for the interaction of EZH2 and inflammatory cytokines. The present study provides new evidence for the role of PRC2 group regulators in inflammatory conditioning and development of skin cancer in offspring prenatally exposed to arsenic., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mucormycosis is a rare, aggressive angioinvasive deep fungal infection caused by mucorales. The epidemiology of mucormycosis has changed in recent times with the increase in incidence, identification of new causative agents, and predisposing factors. The clinical spectrum of mucormycosis includes rhinocerebral, sinopulmonary, cutaneous, and disseminated forms. Cutaneous mucormycosis is an emerging infectious disease especially in post COVID-19 era. Cutaneous mucormycosis can be of two varieties: primary cutaneous and secondary cutaneous. Primary cutaneous mucormycosis is caused by direct inoculation of spores at the site of local trauma resulting in necrotic ulcers, especially, in immunosuppressed patient. Secondary cutaneous mucormycosis results from either dissemination or local invasion to the skin from a rhinocerebral form. The existing data on mucocutaneous mucormycosis is sparse especially in India. Herein, we present a case series describing the demographic factors, predisposing factors, clinical presentation, management of unique cases of mucocutaneous mucormycosis and its association with COVID-19 infection., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Indian Dermatology Online Journal.)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess unique antimicrobial properties. As a result, they are being increasingly used in a wide range of applications. Several studies have shown detrimental effects of AgNPs exposure, including inflammation, accumulation, and cellular damage to different organs. However, the effect of AgNPs exposure during gestation, a critical and susceptible period of human development, on pregnant females and its long-term effects on offspring's health has not been studied. Therefore, we conducted a long-term study where we assessed the effect of gestational AgNPs exposure on pregnant mice and followed their offspring until the age of 12 months. Gestational exposure to AgNPs induced systemic inflammation in the pregnant mice at gestational day (GD) 18. Interestingly, developing fetuses exposed to AgNPs, showed anti-inflammatory conditions as indicated by reduced expression of inflammatory genes in fetal organs at GD 18 and reduced serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-6, and MCP-1 in AgNPs exposed pups at postnatal day (PD) 2. Surprisingly, post-weaning, AgNPs exposed offspring showed a heightened immune activation as shown by upregulation of inflammatory cytokines at PD 28, which persisted till late in life. Moreover, we observed metabolic alterations which persisted until adulthood in mice. To understand the impact of long-term immunometabolic changes on the progression of diabetes and kidney diseases under stressed conditions, we exposed offspring to streptozotocin which revealed a protective role of low-dose gestational AgNPs exposure against streptozotocin-induced diabetes and associated nephropathy.

Introduction: The COVID-19 outbreak is a health emergency, in which health care personnel (HCP) face psychological consequences, working as frontline workers. Therefore, we conducted this study to find out associated psychological impacts among HCP during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline. The reviewed studies were searched from PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Google scholar electronic database using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. Results: We searched through 2676 articles, 19 of which were finally included, most of them were cross-sectional and descriptive studies with 12910 participants. HCP were found to be exposed to a variety of psychological problems; anxiety symptoms were reported in 33% (3081 of 9269), depression 28% (2681 of 9487), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 41% (2933 of 7167), sleep problems 26% (903 of 3442), stress 13% (487 of 3496) and fear 67.3% (392 of 582). The severity of impacts was often mild to moderate. The nurses were twice as likely to develop these symptoms. The factors associated with psychological impacts were fear of infection to self and family members, lack of resources and facilities at workplace, demanding work conditions, working closely with COVID-19 clients in intensive care unit and pre-existing medical and psychological problems. Conclusion: Psychological impacts was mild to moderate among majority of HCP during COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of this review is to provide some utilitarian information for making supportive policies and strategies to improve the psychological wellbeing of frontline HCP during this pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest in this study., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Introduction: Lately, immunotherapy has evolved as a safe and reliable management option for treatment of warts. Various immunogens among others in use include vaccines and antigens like purified Protein Derivative of Tuberculin (PPD) and mycobacterium w (Mw) or mycobacterium indicum prani vaccines., Objectives: The study was aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety profile of intralesional Mw vaccine against intralesional PPD for the management of multiple warts with assessment of the improvement in quality of life (QoL) using the Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire., Methods: Patients aged above 12 years with ≥2 warts were recruited for the study. These individuals were randomized into groups A and B, namely Mw vaccine (group A) and PPD Tuberculin (group B). At each visit, 0.1-0.2 ml of active antigen was infiltrated intralesionally into the largest/mother wart. The injections were repeated after every 4 weeks, for the next 12 weeks. QoL improvement was measured., Results: This intention to treat analysis was completed by 102 patients, of which 55 were in group A and 47 in group B. The rate of complete clearance was comparable in group A (76.3%) with the one in group B (65.9%, P = 0.064). Prior to treatment initiation, the most severely impacted domain of life by warts was 'symptoms and feelings'. There was a statistically significant improvement in QoL at the end of the treatment ( P <0.01)., Conclusion: Mw vaccine holds leverage over PPD with a marginally higher rate of clearance and less adverse events for managing warts., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None., (©2022 Mohta et al.)

Introduction: Of late, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic modality for the treatment of recalcitrant and difficult to treat warts. Purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PDD) and mycobacterium w (Mw) vaccine hold promising prospects for the treatment of verruca, especially in a country like ours where a majority of the population is already sensitized to mycobacterium tuberculosis both due to disease endemicity and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination., Aims and Objectives: We aimed at evaluating the treatment outcome of intralesional PPD tuberculin and Mw vaccine in the treatment of recalcitrant extragenital warts in immunocompetent subjects., Materials and Methods: The patients included immunocompetent subjects between the ages of 16 and 65 years with two or more extragenital warts. The patients were randomized into two groups, namely A (PPD Tuberculin) and B (Mw vaccine). In both groups, 0.1 mL of active intralesional immunogen was injected at the base of the largest wart. The doses were repeated at 4 weeks' intervals for a maximum of 5 injections. Additionally, the improvement in quality of life was measured using the Hindi-validated version of the Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) questionnaire., Results: Ninety-seven patients completed the study, with 46 in group A and 51 in group B. In group A, 24 (52.17%) patients had complete clearance in all warts, and in group B, 32 (62.75%) ( P = 0.38). The most common adverse event in patients of group A was transient injection site erythema and swelling, whereas that in group B was mild transient fever. None of the patients showed any signs of recurrence in the ensuing follow-up period. There was a statistically significant improvement in the mean DLQI scores after treatment in both groups ( P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Both PPD Tuberculin and Mw vaccine are effective in the treatment of recalcitrant warts with minimal recurrence rate. The safety profile of PPD is superior to Mw vaccine. We suggest both to be used as first-line therapy in the treatment of difficult to treat warts., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Indian Journal of Dermatology.)

Introduction: Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, the respiratory system has been the chief focus of researches, however, understanding the impact of this disease on the integumentary system is just as essential., Objectives: We aimed at collecting data on any cutaneous manifestation arising in patients with active and recovering COVID-19 infection, or a direct consequence of the infection's treatment, and correlating these findings with systemic disease severity and duration., Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in three tertiary care centers from Rajasthan, India, to acquire data of laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 presenting with any mucocutaneous manifestation., Results: Eight predominant patterns of dermatological involvement were seen, namely, maculopapular (14.59%), urticarial (13.17%), perniotic (12.1%), pityriasis rosea (11.74%), acral erythema/edema (10.3%), petechial (4.63%), vesicular (2.49%), and livedo (1.78%). Rare findings included eruptive pseudoangioma, eruptive hypomelanosis, alopecia parvimaculata, geographic tongue, chikungunya-like hyperpigmentation, and nail changes. On correlating these findings with the gradient of the disease, livedo, vasculitis, exfoliation, and erythroderma were associated with severe disease, whereas perniosis and eruptive pseudoangioma were seen in mild illness., Conclusion: We reported a few previously unpublished skin manifestations of COVID-19, namely, geographic tongue, chikungunya-like pigmentation, eruptive hypomelanosis, and alopecia parvimaculata. This study provides a visual description of the muco-cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 disease which could aid a dermatologist or physician in early diagnosis of this novel infection, especially in a resource-poor setting., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Indian Dermatology Online Journal.)

Introduction and Background: The novel coronavirus or commonly referred to as the covid-19, has been a threat to the global health as well as the world economy. It all started from the Wuhan city of china in December 2019, when a cluster of pneumonia cases with severe acute respiratory symptoms were reported with unknown etiology, majority of cases linked to the exposure to wholesale seafood market in Hunan. On January 7th, after the nomenclature of this causative agent was done as Corona Virus Disease 2019, COVID19, the struggles to combat and try to control this illness have only so far been less helpful as more and more countries have exponential proportion of cases. On the other side of the illness are the efforts being done constantly to study the characteristics of the virus, newer treatment agents, expanding testing facilities and finally to find a vaccine as soon as possible. Although most human coronavirus infections are mild, the epidemics of the two beta corona viruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)20-24 have caused more than 10 000 cumulative cases in the past two decades, with mortality rates of 10% for SARS-CoV and 37% for MERS-CoV. The 2019-nCoV has features typical of the coronavirus family and was classified in the beta coronavirus. Four viruses - (HCoV 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1) are endemic globally and account for 10% to 30% of upper respiratory tract infections in adults and typically cause common cold symptoms in immunocompetent individuals. Currently, the patients infected by the novel coronavirus are the main source of infection. Although asymptomatic infected can also be a source. Transmission of the virus happens mainly through respiratory droplets and close contact (defined as that within 1m distance and lasting for several minutes). A possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment for a long-time exposure to high concentrations has also not been denied as of yet. Since the information regarding the illness, the treatment principles have been in constant scrutiny and have been changed dynamically as we get to know more about the virus, studies of covid19 cases would be a major stepping stone in acquiring maximum if not hundred percent knowledge about covid19., Materials and Methods: An observational retrospective case study was done for a fixed duration of a month i.e from 23/05/2020 to 23/06/2020. Patients satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included under the study., Inclusion Criteria: Age &gt;40yrs with symptoms of severe acute respiratory Illness (screened as per the symptom suggestive of acute respiratory illness, mohfw.gov.in) Asymptomatic aged &gt;40yrs with comorbidities and in direct contact with confirmed cases of covid19., Exclusion Criteria: Immunocompromised patients. Pregnant patients. Autoimmune disease patients History of psychiatric illness The patients were isolated in different wards based on the presence or absence and severity of symptoms. Detailed history, general and systemic examination and investigations were done. Samples of throat and nasal swab were sent for RT-PCR assay of covid19 testing done by Real time reverse transcriptase based PCR. Regular monitoring of patients was done. Treatment given based on the most recent guidelines update by the ICMR and made available by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare., Statistical Analysis: Data was analysed by using SPSS 22.0 (trial version) software and T test, Chi-square Pierson's correlation and other appropriate statistical test will be used to analyse the data. Aims Objectives: To understand the symptomatology, disease course and complications of covid19. To study the changes in laboratory parameters in association with severity of illness. To study the effect of presence of comorbidities with respect to the outcome of covid19 Ethical Considerations: Since it being a retrospective observational study, complete patient confidentiality was being maintained while collecting and analysing the data as well as during the tabulation of the results., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Development of a rapid, sensitive and easy to use point of care assay for detection of circulating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is of great importance. These biomolecules possess the ability to regulate vital cellular processes and act as biomarkers for various human non-communicable diseases. The present work aimed to develop a simplified and reliable cytometric fluorescence-based approach for precise recognition of circulating lncRNAs in a given sample using biotinylated uracil-modified oligonucleotide tethered AlexaFluor488-labeled streptavidin gold colloidal (BiO-StrAG) nano-conjugates. The fluorophores in close proximity to the gold nanoparticles result in quenching of fluorescence; however, specific recognition of target lncRNAs increases this distance which causes plasmonic enhancement of fluorescence. As per the flow cytometry and fluorometry investigations, the developed methodology provides a precise and sensitive approach for detection of the target lncRNAs (up to 5 nM in any given sample). With advantages of high selectivity and feasibility, our strategy offers great potential of being developed as a promising tool for interrogating aberrant regulation of lncRNAs functions, especially indicated in various diseased states., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Developmental origin of health and disease postulates that the footprints of early life exposure are followed as an endowment of risk for adult diseases. Epidemiological and experimental evidence suggest that an adverse fetal environment can affect the health of offspring throughout their lifetime. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during fetal development can affect the hormone system homeostasis, resulting in a broad spectrum of adverse health outcomes. In the present review, we have described the effect of prenatal EDCs exposure on cardio-metabolic-renal health, using the available epidemiological and experimental evidence. We also discuss the potential mechanisms of their action, which include epigenetic changes, hormonal imprinting, loss of energy homeostasis, and metabolic perturbations. The effect of prenatal EDCs exposure on cardio-metabolic-renal health, which is a complex condition of an altered biological landscape, can be further examined in the case of other environmental stressors with a similar mode of action., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Singh, Koshta, Tiwari, Khan, Sharma and Srivastava.)

Background: The deadly COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) or SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) was identified for the first time in December 2019 from Wuhan, China, and by the beginning of March 2020, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite so many government regulations and awareness measures, there is still a lacuna between the gravity of illness and the knowledge of the average person toward it., Objective: We aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and behavioral practice (KAP) of patients on immunosuppressive medication attending the dermatology department toward, COVID-19., Material and Methods: A self-designed printed/digital questionnaire consisting of 30 questions (Hindi and English) was supplied to patients being treated with any systemic immunosuppressives (for at least 3 weeks), for any dermatological ailment. The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions assessing the knowledge, 11 for attitude, and 7 for practices of patients toward COVID-19., Results: The study included 237 patients with a mean age of 44.57 ± 13.72 years. The correct knowledge toward COVID-19 was present in 126 (53.16%) patients with a mean score of 7.79 ± 3.08 out of 13. The mean attitude score was 8.35 ± 2.16 (out of 11) while the mean score of practice was 5.64 ± 2.03 (out of 8). Increased hygiene levels were seen in 220 (92.83%) patients. Sixty-six (27.85%) patients admitted to stopping their prescribed immunosuppressives by themselves during COVID-19 and a significant proportion agreed to the use of alternative medicines with questionable efficacy ( n = 91; 38.39%). A significant difference in KAP was found across various strata of society like gender, age, socioeconomic status, literacy, and residence ( P < 0.001)., Limitations: Our study was limited by small sample size, absence of a control group with healthy individuals, and short duration of the study., Conclusions: Most of the participants had poor knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practices toward COVID-19. Proper counseling of patients and the use of telemedicine could help combat the gap in KAP without compromising the healthcare facilities needed for the management of such patients., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Indian Journal of Dermatology.)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are extensively utilized in food, cosmetics, and healthcare products. Though the effects of AgNPs exposure on adults are well documented, the long-term effects of gestational/perinatal exposure upon the health of offspring have not been addressed. Herein, we show that only perinatal exposure to AgNPs through the mother could lead to chronic inflammation in offspring which persists till adulthood. Further, AgNPs exposure altered offspring's immune responses against environmental stresses. AgNPs exposed offspring showed an altered response in splenocyte proliferation assay when challenged to lipopolysaccharide, concanavalin-A, AgNPs, or silver ions. Perinatal AgNPs exposure affected metabolic parameters (resistin, glucagon-like peptide-1, leptin, insulin) and upregulated JNK/P38/ERK signaling in the pancreas. We observed pancreatic damage, reduced insulin level, and increased blood glucose levels. Further, we observed renal damage, particularly to tubular and glomerular regions as indicated by histopathology and electron microscopy. Our study thus shows that only perinatal exposure to AgNPs could induce persistent inflammation, alter immune responses against foreign antigens and metabolism which may contribute to pancreatic and renal damage later in life.

The efficiency of xylano-pectinolytic enzymes, co-produced by a single microbial strain Bacillus pumilus, was analysed for the recycling of mixed office waste paper through deinking and compared with the alkaline chemical deinking method. Enzymes showed maximum deinking at pH 8.5, pulp consistency of 10%, xylanase-pectinase dose of 12 and 4 IU per gram pulp, respectively, after 120 min of deinking period, and temperature at 50 °C. A chemi-enzymatic approach was employed with xylano-pectinolytic enzymes and various concentrations of deinking chemicals, which showed that enzyme-treated mixed office waste pulp requires only 40% chemicals for deinking, in order to get the almost same level of various handsheets properties, as obtained by the chemical method with 100% chemicals. Similarly, the effluent load of BOD and COD contents was also decreased by 17.90 and 19.75%. This combinational approach of deinking significantly improved the various properties of the handsheets and resulted in gain of 7.5, 9.38, 6.33 and 11.65% in tear factor, burst factor, breaking length and viscosity of the handsheets, while the effective residual ink concentration analysis of deinked handsheets of mixed office waste paper showed deinking efficiency of 22.45%, which revealed the removal of ink particles during enzymatic deinking steps.

In this study, a chemical reduction strategy was explored for deinking of newspaper waste using xylano-pectinolytic catalysts. A remarkable reduction of 40% in toxic chemicals consumption was obtained by introducing this enzymatic approach of deinking along with improved level of various physical and optical properties. Similarly, a reduction of 18.89% and 17.68% in BOD, COD values of effluent has also been noticed. This combined deinking methodology also resulted in a gain of 5.82% in breaking length, 6.45% in tear factor, 8.57% in burst factor and 9.64% in viscosity, which greatly improved the quality of the handsheets. The study revealed that enzymatic deinking followed by chemical deinking with 40% less chemicals consumption, could be an effective method for reducing the negative impact over the environment caused by 100% deinking chemicals. This is the first report of newspaper waste deinking using xylano-pectinolytic catalysts produced concurrently in the same production media by a bacterial isolate using agricultural wastes as carbon sources., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standardsAuthors declare no conflict of interest concerning the publication of this article.

Mercury is one of the major heavy metal pollutants occurring in elemental, inorganic and organic forms. Due to ban on most inorganic mercury containing products, human exposure to mercury generally occurs as methylmercury (MeHg) by consumption of contaminated fish and other sea food. Animal and epidemiological studies indicate that MeHg affects neural and renal function. Our study is focused on nephrotoxic potential of MeHg. In this study, we have shown for the first time how MeHg could epigenetically modulate matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9) to promote nephrotoxicity using an animal model of sub chronic MeHg exposure. MeHg caused renal toxicity as was seen by increased levels of serum creatinine and expression of early nephrotoxicity markers (KIM-1, Clusterin, IP-10, and TIMP). MeHg exposure also correlated strongly with induction of MMP9 mRNA and protein in a dose dependent manner. Further, while induction of MMP9 promoted cytoskeleton disruption and loss of cell-cell adhesion (loss of F-actin, Vimentin and Fibronectin), inhibition of MMP9 was found to reduce these disruptions. Mechanistic studies by ChIP analysis showed that MeHg modulated MMP9 by promoting demethylation of its regulatory region to increase its expression. Bisulfite sequencing identified critical CpGs in the first exon of MMP9 which were demethylated following MeHg exposure. ChIP studies also showed loss of methyl binding protein, MeCP2 and transcription factor PEA3 at the demethylated site confirming decreased CpG methylation. Our studies thus show how MeHg could epigenetically modulate MMP9 to promote cytoskeleton disruption leading to loss of renal function., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials. Following oral exposure, AgNPs can accumulate in various organs including kidneys where they show gender specific accumulation. There is limited information on their effect on renal system following long-term animal exposure especially at the ultramicroscopic and molecular level. In this study, we have assessed the effect of 60 days oral AgNPs treatment on kidneys of female Wistar rats at doses of 50 ppm and 200 ppm that are below previously reported lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL). AgNPs treatment led to decrease in kidney weight and some loss of renal function as seen by increased levels of serum creatinine and early toxicity markers such as KIM-1, clusterin and osteopontin. We also observed significant mitochondrial damage, loss of brush border membranes, pronounced swelling of podocytes and degeneration of their foot processes using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These symptoms are similar to those seen in nephrotic syndrome and 'Minimal change disease' of kidney where few changes are visible under light microscopy but significant ultrastructural damage is observed. Prolonged treatment of AgNPs also led to the activation of cell proliferative, survival and proinflammatory factors (Akt/mTOR, JNK/Stat and Erk/NF-κB pathways and IL1β, MIP2, IFN-γ, TNF-α and RANTES) and dysfunction of normal apoptotic pathway. Our study shows how long term AgNPs exposure may promote ultrastructural damage to kidney causing inflammation and expression of cell survival factors. These changes, in the long term, could lead to inhibition of the beneficial apoptotic pathway and promotion of necrotic cell death in kidneys.

The effect of ultrafiltered xylanase-pectinase concoction produced simultaneously by a bacterial isolate using agro-waste-based media was assessed in prebleaching of plywood waste pulp. Ultrafiltered enzymes caused 12.5% reduction in kappa number at reduced enzyme dose of xylanase-pectinase (4.0-0.8 IU) per gram of pulp under optimized conditions at pH 8.5, temperature 55 °C, and treatment period of 2 h. Using this methodology, amount of Cl 2 -ClO 2 consumption can be reduced up to 30 and 28.86%. Significant improvement in physical and optical properties of pulp was obtained along with an additional reduction in BOD and COD values up to 18.13 and 21.66% using this novel biodelignification approach. This is the first report showing the advantages of using ultrafiltered xylanase-pectinase over crude enzymes in enhancing the bleaching capacity of pulp. This study focussing on the development of good quality paper with less pollution generating strategy will definitely prove a boon for industries.

In this Research, an effort has been done for the development of effervescent controlled release floating tablet (ECRFT) from solid dispersions (SDs) of diclofenac sodium (DS) for upsurge the solubility and dissolution rate. ECRFT of DS was prepared by using SDs of DS and its SDs prepared with PEG as carrier using thermal method (Simple fusion). SDs of DS were formulated in many ratio (1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4). Prepared SDs was optimized for its solubility, % drug content and % dissolution studies. Tablets were formulated by using optimized SDs products and all formulation was evaluated for various parameters. A clear rise in dissolution rate was detected with entirely SD, amid that the optimized SD (SD4) was considered for ECRFT. Among all the tablet formulations, its F3 formulation was better in all the terms of pre compression and post compression parameters. It had all the qualities of a good ECRFT, based on this F3 formulation was selected as the best formulation. Data of in vitro release was fitted in several kinetics models to explain release mechanism. The F3 formulation shows zero order release. From this study we can concluded that ECRFT containing SDs of DS can be successfully used for achieving better therapeutic objective.

Prolonged arsenic exposure has been shown to cause several detrimental effects in adults. However its effects following prenatal exposure are not well defined at the epigenetic level, particularly in terms of changes which may predispose an individual to adult malignancies. In this work, we have studied the effect of arsenic exposure on renal system using human embryonic kidney cells and prenatally exposed animals and identified Interleukin-8(IL-8) and its homologue (CINC-1) as mediators of arsenic induced renal toxicity. We further show that embryonic kidney cells are more responsive to arsenic leading to higher induction of IL-8 as compared to adult cells due to DNA methylation and histone acetylation (H3 acetylation) changes in the IL-8 promoter. Through bisulfite analysis of the IL-8 promoter, we have also identified an arsenic modulated CpG site at -168 bases upstream of transcription start site. This CpG is associated with C/EBP and CREB binding sites in the IL-8 promoter and its demethylation by arsenic coupled with increased H3 histone acetylation and CBP/P300 recruitment could lead to induction of IL-8. Our study shows how epigenetic modulation of IL-8 by arsenic could contribute to increased cell migratory and proliferative capabilities, cell cycle dysregulation and renal toxicity., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ageing is a natural phenomenon and decline of physiological and structural changes are incurable in advancing years of human life. When such degenerative changes occur in the brain they may lead to dementia and other memory related conditions. The Ayurvedic classics identified the importance of higher faculties dealing with memory and introduced a separate group of drugs namely Medhya Rasayanas. Regular intake of such drugs will help to prevent the onset of degenerative changes in the brain prematurely. Ayurveda can play a useful role in the management of such geriatric conditions. The current review has been done with a view to update documented Ayurvedic therapeutic modalities for certain geriatric conditions suggested by Ayurvedic classics in the management of diseases called Vātavyādhi (nervous system disorders), which also include conditions related to memory functions. Recent studies have started validating the claims recorded in Ayurvedic texts. The pathogenesis and remedies for Vātavyādhi documented in Ayurvedic classics have been reviewed with special emphasis on disorders related to dementia. A review of recent researches on the herbs mentioned in management of vāta disorders including dementia have been done to understand their role in management of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are many herbs of ethno-medicinal source studied experimentally for their potential in treatment of AD. A judicious combination of modern research methodology and Ayurvedic principles could go a long way in the management and care of AD which is going to be a heavy burden on the society in the future.

Efficiency of xylano-pectinolytic enzymes in deinking of school waste paper for its reuse has been investigated in the present study. Enzymatic deinked pulp decreased the requirement of chemicals to nearly 50% and gave same optical properties of pulp as obtained by conventional deinking process. This biodeinking plus chemical deinking approach resulted in a decrease of 20.15% and 22.64% in BOD and COD values of effluents and a gain of 10.71% in viscosity, 7.49% in breaking length, 10.52% in burst factor and 6.25% in tear factor as compared to conventional chemical deinking. This is the first report mentioning the use of xylanase and pectinase produced from a cellulase free alkalo-thermotolerant bacterial strain in the same cost effective agricultural residues based production medium for deinking and will help in making the process ecofriendly with 50% reduction in chemicals, commercially viable with better paper quality., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Four different strategies of pulping and bleaching were carried out to develop alternative mechanistic ecoenvironmental friendly approaches and generated effluent was characterised. Strategy-I included Phanerochaete sp. fungal pretreatment followed by conventional bleaching, whereas in strategy-II, fungal pretreatment was followed by enzyme xylanase aided bleaching. Strategy-III also included xylanase supplement but without prior fungal pretreatment. Chemically driven pulping and bleaching was the IV strategy. Conventional C(D)E(OP)D1D2 sequence of bleaching was used for strategy-I and IV whereas XC(D)E(OP)D1D2 sequence was applied to strategy-I and III. Strategy-II was responsible for 27.5% reduction in Kappa no. whereas the maximum (27.5%) reduction in refining energy was observed with strategy-II. Biobleaching strategies-II and III were helpful in saving 37.3 and 20.3% of elemental chlorine (Cl2) and 30.8 and 23.1% of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) respectively. In comparison to control (strategy-IV), strategy II resulted in maximum pollution load reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), color and adsorbable organic halides (AOX) up to 57, 60, 30 and 43.6%, respectively.

Opportunistic parasitic infections such as leishmaniasis are common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and are usually acquired several days after initial diagnosis of HIV infection. Here, we report on a patient who presented with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) caused by Leishmania tropica as the first and only clinical manifestation of HIV infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case that illustrates that DCL could be the first clinical indicator of HIV infection. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and DCL are becoming frequent opportunistic infections in HIV-infected individuals throughout the world. To date, all documented cases of CL and HIV coinfections have been reported in patients who were known cases of HIV and who subsequently developed CL. In this report, we present a case that illustrates that DCL could be the first clinical indicator of HIV infection.