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Cervical cancer is a notable cause of mortality and morbidity among women of reproductive age. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer among women. Among 170 types of HPV; HPV-16 and -18 are responsible for cervical cancer. The overexpression of oncoproteins E6 and E7 are predominantly responsible for causing neoplasia. The presence of koilocytosis/koilocytotic atypia is the diagnostic point of HPV infection in pap smears. To identify the circulating types of HPV and determine the various risk factors associated with HPV infection, 100 vaginal biopsies or swabs were taken from patients suspected with cervical cancer, and qualitative and semi-quantitative real- time PCR were performed. PCR primers (GP5+/GP6+) based on a conserved region of the HPV-L1open reading frame(ORF) gene were used for the detection of HPV strains, while another set of primers was used for detecting the E6 gene (HPV-16) and E7 gene (HPV-18). The results showed an HPV infection rate of 23%. Furthermore, the prevalent genotype was found to be HPV-16 (73.91%), followed by HPV-18 (26.1%), while mixed infections of both HPV-16 and -18 accounted for 21.74%. In addition, an age of above 45 years, multiple pregnancies, low socioeconomic status, postmenopausal state, anemia, and early coitarche were significantly associated with HPV infection. These results provide the basis for the formulation of an appropriate strategy for disease monitoring to determine the frequency and distribution pattern of HPV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne zoonotic pathogen, is the sole etiologic agent of Japanese Encephalitis (JE); a neurotropic killer disease which is one of the major causes of viral encephalitis worldwide with prime public health concern. JE was first reported in the state of West Bengal, India in 1973. Since then it is being reported every year from different districts of the state, though the vaccination has already been done. Therefore, it indicates that there might be either partial coverage of the vaccine or the emergence of mutated/new strain of JEV. Considering this fact, to understand the JEV genotype distribution, we conducted a molecular epidemiological study on a total of 135 serum/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples referred and/or collected from the clinically suspected patients with Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), admitted in different district hospitals of West Bengal, India, 2010. Findings JEV etiology was confirmed in 36/135 (26.6%) and 13/61 (21.3%) 2–15 days’ febrile illness samples from AES cases by analyzing Mac-ELISA followed by RT-PCR test respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete envelope gene sequences of 13 isolates showed the emergence of JEV genotype I (GI), co-circulating with genotype III (GIII). Conclusion This study represents the first report of JEV GI with GIII, co-circulating in West Bengal. The efficacy of the vaccine (derived from JEV GIII strain SA-14-14-2) to protect against emerging JEV GI needs careful evaluation. In future, JE outbreak is quite likely in the state, if this vaccine fails to protect sufficiently against GI of JEV.

A small molecular probe was synthesized and its response towards biologically significant ions such as Zn2+ and F− with low detection threshold (Zn2+: 50 nM and F−: 3 μM) was investigated in the present work. The recognition event was appreciably utilized towards designing a biomolecular logic device. 1H-NMR and ESI-MS analyses suggested a chemodosimetric recognition pathway of the probe in the existence of Zn2+ that was thoroughly explored by theoretical (DFT-D3) analysis. In DFT-D3, to ensure the character of the minimum structures obtained from the geometry optimization, the vibrational frequency was analysed, which further confirmed the absence of imaginary mode of vibration for the substrate, intermediate and product geometries. The presence of only one imaginary mode of vibration for the transition state geometries confirmed the behaviour of the first-order saddle point. The zero-point vibrational energy and thermal correction to the enthalpy and entropy at 298.15 K were also derived at the same level of theory. In case of F−, the pathway follows a supramolecular non-covalent type of interaction. The in vitro recognition of Zn2+ and F− was explored in different cells (Pollens and Candida albicans), which, in turn, establishes the cell permeability and bioapplicability of the present chemosensor. The reversible spectroscopic response of the probe was utilized to design multi logic gate-based circuitry and a biomolecular device with versatile applications that open up new avenues in the realm of supramolecular functional world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a hydrazine-based chromogenic, fluorogenic and electrochemical chemosensor BCC [1,5-bis(4-cyanophenyl) carbonohydrazide] was premeditated and synthesized through a simple one-step synthetic procedure for the selective detection of toxic anions, such as F−, in a DMSO–ACN medium and cations, such as Hg2+ and Cu2+, in a MeOH–water medium. The detection limit for F− was reckoned to be 0.5 ppm, and for Hg2+ and Cu2+, it was 0.8 ppm and 50 nM, respectively. The chemosensor exhibited a distinct change in colour from colourless to dark blue in the presence of F−, and upon the addition of Hg2+ and Cu2+, the BCC turned from colourless to light blue and purple accordingly. Moreover, turn-on fluorescence response transpired by the attenuation of PET signified the selective sensing of analytes with a zero-order rate constant. Sophisticated analytical experiments, such as ESI-MS, UV-Vis, photoluminescence, cyclic voltammetry, FTIR, and 1H-NMR, along with the theoretical calculations corroborated the probable sensing pathways. The reversible colorimetric response of BCC towards F− and H+ can be advantageous in the design of electronic circuits derived from Boolean algebra. The complexation ability of the sensor with toxic Hg2+- and Cu2+-like ions made it an efficient material to remove these metal ions from real water sources polluted with these toxic elemental ions. Furthermore, the in vitro studies were accomplished using the Bauhinia acuminate pollen cell to check the cell penetrability of the sensor molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]