Search

Nipah virus is a pleomorphic virus that causes high mortality with unpredictable outbreaks. The virus also shows high zoonotic potential with long term neurological damage after recovery further adding to the disease burden. An in-silico epitope-based vaccine offers a promising solution to supplement wider efforts to control the viral spread. This is achieved through immunoinformatics approach using a plethora of servers available. We derived cytotoxic T-cell, T-Helper, B-cell and IFN-γ targeting epitopes from surface glycoprotein G. Cytotoxic T-cell specific epitopes, HLA-B*4402, chimeric multiepitope vaccine structures were prepared using homology modelling method. The structures were validated using various methods and docking simulation was performed between epitopes and HLA-B*4402. Similarly, the vaccine construct was docked to Toll like receptor-4 and a molecular dynamics simulation was performed to assess stability of interaction. Both the docking simulations showed stable interactions with their respective receptors. Immune-simulation was carried out to validate the efficacy of vaccine candidate which showed elevated levels of antibodies such as IgM and IgG due to increase in active B cell population. Both in-vitro and in-vivo serological analysis is required for confirmation of vaccine potency. To facilitate this effort, codon optimization was undertaken to remove existing codon bias. The optimized gene sequence was cloned into the PUC19 vector to express in Escherichia coli K12 strain. Additionally, a poly histidine (6xHis) tag was added at the C-terminal end to ease the purification step. The immune-informatics approach hopes to accelerate vaccine development process to reduce the risk of attenuation while increasing the success rates of pre-clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eosinophilia is a common finding in the pediatric age group. While the majority of mild eosinophilia cases are benign and due to reactive causes, persistent hypereosinophilia is uncommon and requires prompt clinical evaluation because of the potential risk of end-organ damage associated with it. Given the broad differential diagnoses of eosinophilia, it is essential to have a systematic approach to the evaluation of unexplained eosinophilia in children. Here, we discuss the case of a 2-year-old child who presented with very high eosinophil counts. A systematic workup of the case helped us in arriving at a rare diagnosis of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta (PDGFRB)-rearranged clonal eosinophilia. Identification of such an entity is important as it has therapeutic implications, and early recognition helps in preventing associated end-organ damage by instituting appropriate therapy. Such cases of eosinophilia associated with platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha and PDGFRB rearrangement respond dramatically to imatinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin disease characterized by keratinocytes hyperproliferation, abnormal differentiation and inflammation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate in-vitro and in-vivo anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activity to evaluate anti-psoriatic potential of apigenin. For in-vivo study, 5 % imiquimod cream was used to induce psoriasis-like skin inflammation in BALB/c mice to mimic human psoriatic conditions. PASI score, CosCam score, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and ELISA were done to evaluate the anti-psoriatic potential of topically applied apigenin. For in-vitro studies, LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 was done, and qRT-PCR, ELISA, and immunofluorescence were conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of apigenin. Migration and cell doubling assay in HaCaT cells were performed to assess the anti-proliferative effect of apigenin. Acute dermal toxicity profile of apigenin has also been done as per OECD guidelines. Results showed that apigenin significantly reduce the PASI and CosCam scores, ameliorate the deteriorating histopathology, and effectively downregulated the expression of CCR6, IL-17A, and NF-κB. Apigenin effectively downregulated the expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines through IL-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis. Apigenin suppressed nuclear translocation of NF-κB in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Cell migration and cell doubling assay in HaCaT cells showing the anti-proliferative potential of apigenin and it was found safe in acute dermal toxicity study. Apigenin was found effective against psoriasis in both in-vitro and in-vivo models suggesting apigenin as a potential candidate for the development of anti-psoriatic agent. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A six-year-old boy presented with multiple skin-colored to erythematous nodules on the face and scalp since infancy. Excisional biopsy from the new lesion on the frontal scalp revealed a spindle cell lesion arranged in short fascicles and whorls in a chondromyxoid background (Figs. a,b). Whole-body diffusion MRI scan done at the time of presentation did not show any lesion at the previous site, but a small 2-cm lesion was noted in the glenoid region of the right scapular bone (Fig.). [Extracted from the article]

Chitin is the second-most natural polysaccharide in the world, next to cellulose. The main sources of chitin are two marine crustaceans, shrimp and crab. Our objective is to appraise the state of art concerning this polysaccharide, as well as one of its most important derivatives known as chitosan. Chitosan is soluble in acidic aquous media and has vast applications in various fields. Here we briefly describe the characterization, chemical modification, de-polymerization and applications of chitin and chitosan. This review emphasizes recent papers on high value adding applications of these materials in gene therapy, drug delivery, wastewater treatment, packaging, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is being increasingly recognized as a cause of endogenous endophthalmitis in critically ill patients. Three patients were included in this case series. Antibiogram profile in all three cases showed sensitivity to colistin only. All cases were treated with systemic and intravitreal colistin. Although there was clinical improvement, final visual outcome was poor in all cases. Intravitreal colistin can be tried in multidrug resistance cases. Final prognosis depends on early diagnosis and quick institution of appropriate therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles () were prepared from the plant extract of N. arbor-tristis under atmospheric conditions through green synthesis and characterized by various physicochemical techniques like UV-Visible spectroscopy, IR Spectra, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the results confirmed the synthesis of homogeneous and stable by the plant extracts. The antimicrobial activity of was investigated against most common bacteria found in burn wound Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In these tests, Mueller Hinton agar plates were used with of various concentrations, supplemented in liquid systems. P. aeruginosa was inhibited at the low concentration of , whereas the growth-inhibitory effect on S. epidermidis was mild. These results suggest that can be used as effective growth inhibitors of various microorganisms, making them applicable to diverse medical devices and antimicrobial control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blood group has been stated to be one of the risk factors associated with viral diseases like dengue, hepatitis virus, Norwalk virus and even the coronavirus associated with 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. In addition, anti-A antibodies in experimental models have been shown to inhibit the interaction between coronavirus and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) receptor of the host target cell, the major receptor involved in viral pathogenesis. Thus, several workers propose an association between ABO blood type and coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) disease in many previous studies. The present study was undertaken in the Eastern part of India in line with these authors to study the association of ABO blood group of patients with COVID susceptibility and severity. Methods: This is a retrospective study over a period of 6 months from June 2020 to November 2020 where patients who underwent quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) test for SARS-COV2 and having a recorded patient blood group type were considered. The qRT-PCR positive admitted cases were considered as cases, and qRT-PCR negative cases were considered as controls. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel format and analyzed by statistical method to obtain association. Results: Consecutively obtained 5000 qRT-PCR positive patients (cases) and 11,700 (controls) were included in the present study. The mean age of cases was higher (54.24 vs. 34. 67) than the controls. Among the cases, the highest number (2379; 47.6%) of samples belonged to A blood group followed by B (1278; 25.6%) while among the control group O blood group had the highest prevalence (4215; 36%). Blood group A had a higher odd of testing positive (Odds ratio-2.552; CI 2.381–2.734; p < 0.0001) than all other blood groups. A blood group is also associated with higher risk of ICU admission (Odds ratio- 1.699; 95% CI 1.515–1.905) and 65.3% of this group is also associated with high viral load which gives an indication of higher disease severity. Conclusion: Blood group A is associated with an increased susceptibility to COVID 19 infection than other blood groups. Cases of this blood group are also associated with more critical care needs and a higher viral load on testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia(JMML) is a pediatric myeloproliferative disorder. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the only curative treatment for JMML. Pre-transplant therapy is a matter of controversy, and there are no firm recommendations. Whether chemotherapy is effective in achieving durable remission is questionable. Patients diagnosed as JMML at our center from January-2014 to December-2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients treated with at least one cycle of sequential therapy with subcutaneous cytarabine and oral 6-mercaptopurine were further assessed. The total number of patients diagnosed during the study period was 33. Patients were divided into two groups: patients who did not get any chemotherapy (n = 13) and ones who received at least one cycle of chemotherapy(n = 20). Age, total leukocyte count (TLC), monocyte percent, platelet count and spleen size were comparable between the two groups. There was no difference in the overall survival between the two groups, but 6 out of 20 patients showed a response to chemotherapy (2 complete remission, 4 partial remission). Two patients out of 20 underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The patients who achieved complete remission received 12 cycles of chemotherapy and have been in follow up for 28 months and 50 months respectively. Our results showed that sequential therapy with 6-mercaptopurine and cytarabine may be offered to patients in whom HSCT is not feasible or as a bridge therapy in those awaiting HSCT. The advantages of this approach include low cost, out-patient management and decreased requirement of blood components. In a subset of patients it may achieve remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: A biofilm is a layer of microorganisms contained in a matrix (slime layer), which forms on surfaces in contact with water. Their presence in drinking water pipe networks can be responsible for a wide range of water quality and operational problems. Aim: To identify the bacterial isolates, obtained from water pipelines of kitchens, to evaluate the water quality & to study the biofilm producing capacity of the bacterial isolates from various sources. Settings and Design: A prospective study using water samples from aqua guard & pipelines to kitchens of S.C.B Medical College hostels. Materials and Methods: Standard biochemical procedures for bacterial identification, multiple tube culture & MPN count to evaluate water quality & tissue culture plate (TCP) method for biofilm detection was followed. Statistical analysis: STATA software version 9.2 from STATA Corporation, College station road, 90 Houston, Texas was used for statistical analysis. Results: One hundred eighty seven isolates were obtained from 45 water samples cultured. The isolates were Acinetobacter spp. (44), Pseudomonas spp.(41), Klebsiella spp.(36) & others . Biofilm was detected in (37) 19.78 % of the isolates (95% CI 30.08% -43.92%) including Acinetobacter spp.-10, Klebsiella spp. - 9, Pseudomonas spp. - 9, & others, majority (34) of which were from kitchen pipelines. Conclusion: Water from pipeline sources was unsatisfactory for consumption as the MPN counts were > 10. Most of the biofilm producers were gram negative bacilli & Pseudomonas & Acinetobacter spp. were strong (4+) biofilm producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous tuberculosis, pulmonary tuberculosis and hanseniasis are all caused by different spp. of Mycobacterium, an intracellular pathogen whose development depends on impaired cell mediated immunity. Scrofuloderma is the most common variant of cutaneous tuberculosis, which is characterized by a direct extension of the skin which overlies the infected lymph gland, bone or joint, that breaks down to form an undermined ulcer. We are reporting a rare association of Scrofuloderma (cutaneous tuberculosis) with Hanseniasis (leprosy) in an adult male whose immune status was controversial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]