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A high-performance colorimetric probe (L) for the selective recognition of In3+via LMCT and can detect as low as 2.3 ppb. Besides, Test paper strips and smartphone integrated RGB methods used to detect the In3+ in water samples.

In patients with transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM), daratumumab reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 44% in MAIA (daratumumab/lenalidomide/dexamethasone; D-Rd) and 58% in ALCYONE (daratumumab/bortezomib/melphalan/prednisone; D-VMP). Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a sensitive measure of disease and response to therapy. MRD-negativity status and durability were assessed in MAIA and ALCYONE. MRD assessments using next-generation sequencing (10–5) occurred for patients achieving complete response (CR) or better, and after ≥CR at 12, 18, 24, and 30 months from the first dose. Progression-free survival (PFS) by MRD status and sustained MRD negativity lasting ≥6 and ≥12 months were analyzed in the intent-to-treat population and among patients achieving ≥CR. In MAIA, (D-Rd, n=368; Rd, n=369), and ALCYONE (D-VMP, n=350; VMP, n=356), the median duration of follow-up was 36.4 months and 40.1 months, respectively. MRD-negative status and sustained MRD negativity lasting ≥6 and ≥12 months were associated with improved PFS, regardless of treatment group. However, daratumumab-based therapy improved rates of MRD negativity lasting ≥6 months (D-Rd, 14.9% vs Rd, 4.3%; D-VMP, 15.7% vs VMP, 4.5%) and ≥12 months (D-Rd, 10.9% vs Rd, 2.4%; D-VMP, 14.0% vs VMP, 2.8%), both of which translated to improved PFS versus control groups. In a pooled analysis, patients who were MRD negative had improved PFS versus patients who were MRD positive. Patients with NDMM who achieved MRD-negative status or sustained MRD negativity had deep remission and improved clinical outcomes. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02252172 (MAIA); NCT02195479 (ALCYONE).

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is an emerging viral epidemic threatening public health in the South-East Asia Region, especially Bangladesh and India. Nipah viral infection was first recognized in a large outbreak of about 265 suspected cases in the Malaysian peninsula from September 1998 to April 1999. Bangladesh reported its first confirmed case of NiV in 2001. India witnessed two outbreaks of Nipah encephalitis, both in the eastern state of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh in 2001 and 2007. The recent outbreak of NiV encephalitis, having a mortality as high as 90%, with 20 confirmed cases occurred in the Southern State of Kerala. It is a relatively new disease with a rapid progression and a high mortality rate. These factors created public fear, the panic and confusion of people when faced with the unknown. Widespread campaigns were implemented in the state, both in mass and social media platforms to educate the public in the science behind the disease, its transmission and preventive measures and to address any concerns from the general population.These measures and a high level of public compliance may be what ultimately limited the disease progression from its erstwhile level of spread.

Voltammetric sensor using a symmetrical derivative of anthrone3 (1,7-diamino-3,9-dibutyl benzo[1,2,3-de:4,5,6-d’e’]diquinoline-2,8(3H,9H)-dione) (SPE-A) has been developed as a probe for Hg(II) ions. Performance of the probe as screen-printed electrode modified with the receptor (SPE-A) has been compared with anthrone3 in solution phase, using 1:1 water-acetonitrile solvent system. Anthrone3 displayed an electrochemically quasi-reversible nature in voltammograms with both the systems and is presented as a novel disposable voltammetric sensor for mercury ions. Upon interaction with cations, both the electrode systems showed sensitivity towards Hg2+ ions with a lower detection limit of 0.61 µM. The magnitude of the voltammetric current with the SPE-A exhibited three times the current obtained with a bare glassy carbon electrode (GC). Kinetic performance of the SPE-A electrode is better than the GC electrode. The morphological studies indicate reusability of the electrodes.

Synthetically easy, a new chemodosimeter-type chromogenic and fluorogenic chemosensor L was developed by condensing 1-aminopyrene with the vitamin B6 cofactor pyridoxal for the selective detection of Fe3+. Receptor L exhibits a rapid colorimetric response from yellow to colourless and a distinct fluorescence enhancement at 441 nm with Fe3+ due to the cleavage of imine linkage. The optical responses from L in the presence of Fe3+ ions are highly specific, interference-free, can be monitored by smartphone and also observed within the live HeLa cells.

Background: As per Medical Council of India guidelines, Under-graduate medical students must involve in planning, implementation and evaluation of a health education program. Problem Solving for Better Health (PSBH) is an excellent opportunity provided to fulfill this objective. PSBH participants are encouraged to generate new ideas and methods to more effectively utilize the resources that are currently available to them to help solve specific health problems in their areas. Many of the PSBH projects are Health Education Intervention projects and Behavior change is the core idea of Health Education. We intend to assess the projects documenting behavior change following Health Education Intervention. Methods: Abstract, Objectives, Methodology, Results, Discussion and Questionnaires of the submitted Health Education Intervention projects were reviewed for data on the Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Change in Behavior of participants before and after Health Education Intervention. Data entered in Epi-Info 6.0 and percentage projects showing Knowledge, Attitude and Behavioral change were assessed. Results: Out of the 243 PSBH projects 177(72.83%) were Health Education Intervention projects. Behavioral assessment before intervention was done in 152(85.87%) studies. 88(49.71%) studies have documented the changes in behavior after intervention and only 38 out of these 88 studies have documented the statistical significance for the change in behavior. 2(0.01%) of the studies have used Health Education Models other than Knowledge Attitude Practice (KAP) Model. Convenient sampling is done in all the studies. Conclusion: Nearly half of the PSBH projects on Health Education Intervention have documented the change in behavior. The use of appropriate Health Education Models, standard sampling methods, proper statistical analysis and documenting change in Behavior will add value for their study.

A new fluorescence receptor (E)-2-amino-N′-((3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-4-yl)methylene)benzohydrazide (1) was synthesized by reacting vitamin B6 cofactor pyridoxal with 2-aminobenzohydrazide, and characterized by various spectral (FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and ESI-MS) data. It shows high selectivity and sensitivity towards Zn2+ and CN− ions among the other tested metal ions (Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Fe2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, Al3+ and Cr3+) and anions (F−, Cl−, Br−, I−, NO3−, N3−, HSO4−, H2PO4−, ClO4− and AcO−). With the addition of Zn2+ and CN−, the receptor 1 displays a drastic fluorescence enhancement around 475–480 nm without any interference from other tested cations/anions. Receptor 1 shows the detection limit down to 3.20 ×10−7 M and 1.53×10−7 M for Zn2+ and CN− ions, respectively. In addition, the receptor 1 shows selective response towards CN− by giving a new absorption band around 431 nm. The recognition mechanism was proposed through 1H NMR and DFT results. Finally, the receptor 1 was applied for the detection of bioactive Zn2+ ions in live HeLa cells.

This manuscript presents a novel bioanalytical approach for the selective ratiometric fluorescent sensing of enzymatic activity of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the biological samples. The probe was designed by conjugating the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) over the surface of bovine serum albumin (BSA) stabilized CdS quantum dots (QDs) through the interaction of free amine present in BSA with the aldehyde group of PLP. The conjugation of PLP quenched the emission of QDs. Upon addition of the ALP, the emission of QDs was restored due to the dephosphorylation and the conversion of the functionalized PLP in to pyridoxal. With this probe, the ALP activity can be detected down to 0.05 U/L and also successfully applied for the detection of ALP activity in biological samples such as human serum and plasma.

The red-emitting ovalbumin-stabilized gold nanoclusters (OVA@AuNCs) was prepared and applied for the selective detection of vitamin B6 cofactors. The addition of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) and pyridoxal perturbed the fluorescence profile of OVA@AuNCs, and showed new emission band respectively at 532 nm and 437 nm due to the formation of Schiff base linkage between the aldehyde group of the cofactors and the free amine groups present in the OVA. Using OVA@AuNCs, the cofactors PLP and pyridoxal can be detected down to 6.14 × 10−7 M and 5.47 × 10−7 M, respectively. Also, the OVA@AuNCs can be mixed with optimized amount of pyridoxal to generate pure white-light emission. Further, considering the catalytic role of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in dephosphorylation, the PLP conjugated OVA@AuNCs was applied as a probe to detect ALP activity. The yellow-emitting PLP_OVA@AuNCs turned to pale-white emitting nanoclusters due to the ALP directed catalytic conversion of PLP into pyridoxal. With PLP_OVA@AuNCs, the ALP activity can be detected down to 3.9 U/L. In addition, the fluorescent color changes of PLP_OVA@AuNCs in the presence of varying amounts of the ALP were integrated with smartphone to develop a simple and cost-effective approach for the on-site detection of ALP activity. Finally, the practical utilities of both the fluorimetric and smartphone approaches were validated by quantifying ALP in various environmental and biological samples.

This manuscript presents a novel bioanalytical approach for the selective ratiometric fluorescent sensing of enzymatic activity of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the biological samples. The probe was designed by conjugating the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) over the surface of bovine serum albumin (BSA) stabilized CdS quantum dots (QDs) through the interaction of free amine present in BSA with the aldehyde group of PLP. The conjugation of PLP quenched the emission of QDs. Upon addition of the ALP, the emission of QDs was restored due to the dephosphorylation and the conversion of the functionalized PLP in to pyridoxal. With this probe, the ALP activity can be detected down to 0.05 U/L and also successfully applied for the detection of ALP activity in biological samples such as human serum and plasma.

A novel fluorescent receptor L was synthesized by Schiff base condensation of 1-pyrenemethylamine with the vitamin B6 cofactor pyridoxal. The receptor L is highly selective and sensitive towards Zn2+ ions among other tested metal ions. Upon interaction with Zn2+, the receptor L showed a distinct fluorescence enhancement at 485 nm due to the excimer formation leading to the fluorescent colour change from blue to bluish-green. Subsequently, when the in situ generated ZnL2 complex interacted with various anions and amino acids, the addition of H2PO4− and cysteine reinstated the fluorescence of the receptor L due to the demetalation of Zn2+ from the ZnL2 complex. Accordingly, the receptor L was developed for the highly selective, specific and sensitive detection of three important bioactive analytes, i.e., Zn2+, H2PO4− and cysteine with a detection limit down to 2.3 × 10−6 M, 2.18 × 10−7 M and 1.59 × 10−7 M, respectively. Additionally, the receptor L was applied to the detection of intracellular Zn2+ ions in live HeLa cells.

A series of Ruthenium-Quinolinol complexes (3a-d &4a-d) has been synthesized by employing a simple, efficient and environmental friendly condition. Catalytic role of Amberlite IRA-120(H) has been demonstrated. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by the analysis of spectroscopic data. The stability of these complexes was measured by UV spectroscopy & time dependent NMR spectroscopy. These newly developed complexes were represented as potential anticancer agent against human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7), human Epitheloid Cervix Carcinoma (HeLa), human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line (A549) and human colon cancer cell line (Caco-2). Most of the ruthenium complexes showed higher anticancer activity in MCF-7, HeLa and Caco-2 cell lines than cisplatin. A high selectivity (9-28 folds) was observed with these newly developed organoruthenium compounds in human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HeLa and Caco-2) with respect to normal fibroblast cell line (MRC-5). Complex [(η6-hexamethylbenzene)RuCl(κ2-O,N-5-chloro-HyQ)]·Cl (4b), [(η6-hexamethylbenzene)RuCl(κ2-O,N-5,7-dibromo-HyQ)]·Cl (4c) and [(η6-hexamethylbenzene)RuCl(κ2-O,N-5-chloro-7-iodo-HyQ)]·Cl (4d) exhibited best cytotoxicity profiles in three reported human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HeLa, Caco-2). Cellular imaging study was also performed with these newly developed organoruthenium compounds. Compound 4c might be utilized for cancer theranostic agents because of its significant quantum yield in water, high potency, selectivity and high cellular uptake in cancer cell lines.

Introduction: Evaluation of estrous cycle in laboratory animals can be a useful measure of the integrity of hypothalamic-pituitaryovarian reproductive axis. Assessment of vaginal cytology is crucial to assess the milieu and compare the endocrine status of animals among the experimental groups. Aim: The present study was attempted to compare the estimation of estrous cycle by visual method and non invasive vaginal lavage method. Materials and Methods: Sixty healthy female swiss albino mice were used for the present study. The appearance of the vagina with respect to the opening of vagina, vaginal swellings were observed. Non-invasive method was used in vaginal lavage method in which nucleated epithelial cells, cornified squamous epithelial cells and leucocytes present in vaginal smears were used to identify the estrous stages. Results: The estimation of estrous cycle by visual method coincides with the vaginal lavage method. In Vaginal lavage method, the accurate proportion of cells and the transition phases can be evaluated. Conclusion: The non-invasive method reduces the risk of pseudo -pregnancy and mechanical trauma. Though, visual method is quick and reliable, for accurate estimation of the stage of the estrous, non-invasive vaginal lavage method is ideal.

In early 2016, the Royal Society of Chemistry arranged a meeting on the topic 'Nanoparticle Assemblies: from Fundamentals to Applications' which was hosted at IIT-Bombay, Mumbai. The meeting brought several leading nanoscience and nanotechnology researchers to India and is only the second Faraday Discussions meeting to have been held in the country. The papers presented at the meeting and the resulting active discussions have been summarized in a Faraday Discussion issue(1). The broad range of topics discussed at the meeting led to an understanding on where we stand in the field of nanoparticle assembly, and also enunciated some of the outstanding fundamental and practical issues that remain to be resolved before these ideas can be applied to practical situations. Driven by these ideas, here we focus on four topics/questions: (i) Can we achieve function-driven design of nanoparticle assemblies? (ii) What is the minimal information needed to build a desired assembly? (iii) How complex a structure can one build? How can one make it responsive? What are the relative roles of equilibrium versus dynamics in the assembly process, and are we at a point where we can now pursue active assembly as a viable mode for creating complex assemblies? (iv) What are the applications that are being targeted and what are the barriers to implementation? In this perspective, we do not present an exhaustive survey of the vast literature in this area, but indicate overarching themes/questions that require immediate attention, largely based on the discussions at the Mumbai meeting.

A novel Schiff base receptor (L) bearing catechol and phenol groups was synthesized and characterized by various spectral (FTIR, 1H NMR and mass) data. The anion recognition ability of L was investigated by experimental (UV-Vis, fluorescence and 1H NMR) and theoretical (B3LYP/6-31G**) methods. Among the tested anions, the receptor L showed both naked-eye detectable color change from light-yellow to intense brownish-yellow and spectral (hyperchromic shift at 450 nm and ‘turn-on’ fluorescence at 480 nm) changes selectively towards F− and AcO− in DMSO and mixed DMSO–H2O medium because of the formation of a hydrogen bonded anion-receptor complex followed by the deprotonation of L. The receptor L was tested for live breast cancer cell imaging and can be applied to the breast tumour diagnosis.