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Background and Aim: Despite the sustained progress in the realm of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring of the nervous system, little progress has been achieved in monitoring the olfactory pathway. Loss of olfactory function due to retraction-induced physical damage during operations has ill-appreciated negative consequences for the patients and is often underreported. Improvements in this area of neuromonitoring require a revisit of the technical challenges. We aim to describe the method to construct flexible, bipolar silver ball electrodes to stimulate the olfactory mucosa during cranial neurosurgery and suggest ways to overcome the challenges in eliciting olfactory evoked potentials. Materials and Methods: We analyze the potential difficulties in routinely eliciting olfactory evoked potential in neurosurgical operations and summarize ways to overcome them. We also describe the construction of a simple electrical stimulator electrode for the olfactory mucosa, its application, and potential recording sites in an effort to detect the potential during cranial neurosurgery. Results: We created flexible, insulated bipolar silver electrodes and placed them atraumatically on the olfactory mucosa under endoscopic guidance, bilaterally, in 22 patients. We obtained an optimal position in less than 10 minutes in most cases. We also summarize the challenges faced and potential paths to overcome them. Conclusions: Though electrical stimulation of the olfactory mucosa using custom-made silver electrodes is possible and takes little time to place them as part of an intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring setup, detecting the minute potential remains elusive. Keywords: Intraoperative neuromonitoring, olfactory evoked potentials, olfactory mucosa, Author(s): Bujji Karre [1]; Gopalakrishnan M. Sasidharan (corresponding author) [1] Key Message: Though olfactory mucosal stimulation and the setting up of recording electrodes during cranial neurosurgery are feasible, reliable detection [...]

Congenital anomalies of the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) are complex developmental defects. We describe a patient with atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) and short stature whose morphopathologydid not fit into any of the previously described syndromic constellations. The patient underwent a reduction of the AAD followed by fixation with C1-C2 transarticular screws. Although numerous syndromes have been linked to both dwarfism and craniovertebral junction anomalies, this patient did not fit into any of these patterns. It is possible that this may be one of the many as yet unrecognized patterns of congenital anomalies.

Maya Gopalakrishnan,1 Suman Saurabh,2 Tarun Kumar Dutta3 1Department of Internal Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India; 2Neglected Tropical Diseases- WHO India, Muzaffarpur, India; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, IndiaWe congratulate Kumar et al for their relevant study “Clinical and epidemiologic profile and predictors of outcome of poisonous snake bites – an analysis of 1,500 cases from a tertiary care center in Malabar, North Kerala, India” published in June 2018 in the International Journal of General Medicine.1 The study is noteworthy in being one of the largest series addressing snake bites from the subcontinent. The study has succeeded in highlighting several important findings related to snake envenomation, which is a serious and neglected problem in India and other tropical countries.View the original paper by Kumar and colleagues.

Complete long segment carotid occlusion presents a treatment challenge. These patients cannot be managed adequately by endarterectomy or stenting. Despite best medical management, many continue to develop recurrent strokes. In this select group of patients, there may be role for flow augmentation techniques like superficial temporal-middle cerebral artery bypass. We report a patient who was thus successfully treated and remains asymptomatic. The relevant literature is reviewed.

Villous hyperplasia of choroid plexus (VHCP) is a very rare benign condition characterized by diffuse enlargement of the choroid plexus with overproduction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), thus leading to shunt-resistant hydrocephalus in children. Although ultrasonography (USG) and computed tomography (CT) may aid in diagnosing the communicating hydrocephalus and choroid plexus enlargement, the diagnosis is essentially made on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by demonstrating diffuse enlargement and enhancement of the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricles diffusely, without any discrete masses. There are very few cases of this condition reported in the literature so far. In this report, we present a case of an infant presenting with hydrocephalus from VHCP and a brief review of the literature. Keywords: Choroid plexus, hydrocephalus, magnetic resonance imaging, villous hyperplasia, Author(s): V. Nitheesha Reddy [1]; Pararathu Viswanathan Sreekesh [2]; M. S. Gopalakrishnan [2]; Nichanametla Sravani [1]; Krishnan Nagarajan [1] Introduction Villous hyperplasia of choroid plexus (VHCP) is one of the [...]

Soil is a vital resource that serves as a foundation for sustainable food production by providing the required physical, chemical, and biological characteristics required for healthy crop. But, the quality of soil is diminishing due to repeated cultivation without proper knowledge. Hence, assessing soil fertility is crucial for decision making and management. To effectively manage the soil, farmers need to know its composition, nutrient level, and other characteristics. One important instrument for this process is soil testing. Laboratory analysis of soil parameters despite being labor-consuming and time-intensive process, it also leaves chemical residues that pollute the ecosystem. Using nonchemical techniques for analyzing soil nutrients through machine learning (ML) offers efficiency, and scalability and helps in real-time decision-making. Integrating ML in agriculture can better solve complicated issues and give producers essential advice. ML algorithms have been used to generate forecasting models based on available soil data and environmental variables. This review highlights the models used in soil fertility assessment and their performance and accuracy rates across different applications. A summary of the major findings from the studies discussed shows that neural networks such as artificial neural networks (ANN) performed well in phosphorus prediction with 91.2% accuracy, convolutional neural networks (CNN) achieved 98.4% in nutrient prediction. Random forests (RF) achieved an accuracy of up to 99% in soil organic carbon (SOC) prediction. Ensemble Learning like XGBoost in pH prediction and crop recommendation and AdaBoost in potassium prediction shows the highest accuracy reaching up to 99.3%. This review along with similar findings further explores the importance of ML in soil fertility assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green synthesis nanoparticles have gained interest in recent years due to their environmental friendliness and sustainability. The current study focuses on the green synthesis of BMNP using spearmint leaves as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Because of their excellent catalytic characteristics, the synthesized bimetallic nanoparticles function as an effective catalyst in pyrido[2,3‐d:6,5‐d] pyrimidine derivatives. The synthesized nanoparticles are characterized using a variety of techniques, including FT‐IR analysis, SEM & EDX, XRD, and TEM. The FT‐IR study shows a reduction in functional groups in the leaf extract, confirming the metal nanoparticles' stretching. SEM and EDX studies confirm the shape and elemental composition of bimetallic nanoparticles. XRD investigation showed that the synthesized NPs are crystalline, and the Scherrer equation was used to calculate the average crystallite size. The calculated size was 49 nm. TEM analysis confirms the core‐shell nature of BMNPs. The synthesized nanoparticles acted as a superior catalyst in pyrido[2,3‐d:6,5‐d] dipyrimidines derivatives. in the synthetic procedure, BMNPs enhanced the catalytic activity and reduced the reaction time with more yield, Compared to the previous study. and the synthesized compound [1–5] has been confirmed by FT‐IR, 1H‐NMR, and 13C‐NMR analysis. and it has given better results in in‐vivo anti‐diabetic activity by Streptozotocin nicotinamide. This induced model adult male albino Wistar derivatives show significant fasting blood glucose levels when compared to metformin hydrochloride. and its evaluated molecular docking study, exhibit excellent CDDOCKER energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat being a staple food crop is essential for food security. Rust diseases like stem and leaf rust continues to be a serious threat to wheat production at national and international level. In recent years, powdery mildew disease is emerging as a threat to wheat production due to the climate change and intensive crop cultivation practices. Development of resistant cultivar is the most economical, reliable and sustainable way to control rusts and powdery mildew diseases. Stem rust, leaf rust and powdery mildew resistance genes viz., Sr2/Lr27/Yr30, Sr24/Lr24 and Sr36/Pm6 were pyramided using marker assisted backcross breeding approach. Based on phenotypic observations, five populations were selected at BC4F6 with respect to yield traits, leaf and stem rust and powdery mildew reactions. These populations were subjected to molecular marker analyses. Out of the five populations, Sr2+ were present in all the populations, while Sr24/Lr24 and Sr36/Pm6 was present in the fourth and fifth population. The identified population carrying Sr24/Lr24, Sr36/Pm6 and Sr2+ genes were stabilized at BC4F7 generation. The use of gene stacks/pyramids of major (Sr24/Lr24 and Sr36/Pm6) and minor gene (Sr2+) that confer resistance to most of the pathotypes of stem rust, leaf rust and powdery mildew could impart durability and sustainability to the cultivars than single gene deployment.

This present research work focuses on synthesizing Ag−Cu bimetallic nanoparticles utilizing an aqueous extract leaf of Excoecaria agallocha, employing a green synthesis route. The incorporation of silver (Ag) with copper (Cu) induces synergistic effects that enhance reaction kinetics and reduce the multicomponent reaction time. The catalysts synthesized through this environmentally friendly approach were thoroughly characterized using various analytical techniques, including HR‐TEM, XRD, SEM‐EDX, UV‐Vis Spectrophotometry, and FT‐IR. The UV‐visible spectrum displayed a peak at 257 nm, while the FT‐IR spectrum exhibited peaks at 574 cm−1, indicative of bimetallic peak reductions attributed to the influence of plant metabolites. HR‐TEM and XRD revealed the crystalline with (111), (200), (111), (200), and (220) plane values and shapes of BMNPs. Furthermore, the Ag−Cu bimetallic nanoparticles demonstrated outstanding catalytic performance with high product yield, along with notable reusability and recyclability and excellent antimicrobial activity when compared with commercial antibacterial chloramphenicol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]