Investigation on NiWO4/PANI composite as an electrode material for energy storage devices

NiWO4/PANI was synthesized by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization route. Incorporation of NiWO4 in a PANI matrix rendered high specific capacitance and salient morphological features.

Development of integrated microfluidic platform coupled with Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for diagnosis of COVID-19

Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has created an alarming situation across the globe. Varieties of diagnostic protocols are being developed for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Many of these diagnostic protocols however, have limitations such as for example unacceptable no of false-positive and false-negative cases, particularly during the early stages of infection. At present, the real-time (quantitative) reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is considered the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis. However, RT-PCR based tests are complex, expensive, time consuming and involve pre-processing of samples. A swift, sensitive, inexpensive protocol for mass screening is urgently needed to contain this pandemic. There is urgent need to harness new powerful technologies for accurate detection not only of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) but also combating the emergence of pandemics of new viruses as well. To overcome the current challenges, the authors propose a diagnostic protocol based on Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) coupled with microfluidic devices containing integrated microchannels functionalized either with vertically aligned Au/Ag coated carbon nanotubes or with disposable electrospun micro/nano-filter membranes. These devices have the potential to successfully trap viruses from diverse biological fluids/secretions including saliva, nasopharyngeal, tear etc. These can thus enrich the viral titre and enable accurate identification of the viruses from their respective Raman signatures. If the device is successfully developed and proven to detect target viruses, it would facilitate rapid screening of symptomatic as well as asymptomatic individuals of COVID-19. This would be a valuable diagnostic tool not only for mass screening of current COVID-19 pandemic but also in viral pandemic outbreaks of future.

Development of Sunlight-Driven Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO)/CeO₂-CuO Nanofibrous Photocatalyst for Efficient Removal of Organic Dyes

A hybrid nanofibrous membrane photocatalysts was developed through electrospinningcarbonization method. In this work, the hybrid membrane with p-n hetero-structure consisting of CeO₂ and CuO metal-oxide nanoparticles was prepared by a hierarchical and facile approach through electrospun technique and stabilized by hydrothermal process. The obtained heterogeneous photocatalyst membrane was studied for its catalytic properties by performing several experiments using test solutions of anionic Congo red (CR) and cationic methylene blue (MB) dyes, respectively. The as-prepared Graphene-CeO₂/CuO intercalated polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous (GCPNs) membrane is characterized by using various analytical techniques and its photocatalytic degradation properties was studied by conducting batch studies and validated using the kinetics models. Furthermore, the functional group transformation, electronic transition state, binding energy values and chemical oxidation state of the GCPNs membrane before and after degradation was investigated by spectroscopic studies. The optical properties of the GCPNs membrane was further analysed by UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Also, the enhanced photo-degradation behaviour of the p-n hetero-structure due to the suppression of the recombination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs was confirmed by photoluminescence studies (PL). These investigations implied that the developed photocatalyst GCPN membrane follows the pseudo first-order kinetics having higher reaction rate constant. Comprehensively, the GCPN has varying dye removal capacity of 90-98% for Congo red and 30-90% for Methylene blue in which the photocatalytic degradation capacity increases with increase in dye concentration and time. The reusability studies supported the sustainability and durability of the photocatalytic membrane for longer lifetime and practical value. Henceforth, nanotechnology-based cutting-edge technology offers novel hybrid nanomaterials having excellent properties that are pre-requisite for the development of sunlight mediated nano-photocatalytic reactors in the commercial applications.

A novel leaf rust resistance gene introgressed from Aegilops markgrafii maps on chromosome arm 2AS of wheat

A novel leaf rust resistance gene, LrM, introgressed from Aegilops markgrafii and mapped on chromosome 2AS using SSR- and SNP-based PCR markers will aid in broadening the genetic base of rust resistance in wheat. A new leaf rust resistance gene tentatively named LrM was introgressed from the diploid non-progenitor species Ae. markgrafii (2n = 2x = 14, genome CC) into common wheat using the nulli-5B mechanism. The introgression line ER9-700 showed a high degree of resistance against a wide spectrum of Puccinia triticina pathotypes. Genetic analysis was performed using the F₁, F₂, F_2:3 and BC₁F₁ generations derived from the cross ER9-700/Agra Local. The results showed a single dominant gene for leaf rust resistance. The resistance gene LrM was mapped on chromosome arm 2AS using SSR- and SNP-based PCR markers. Preliminary mapping with SSR markers in the F_2:3 population from the cross ER9-700/Agra Local identified two SSR markers flanking the LrM. SNPs were identified in the genomic region flanked by SSR markers, and SNP-based PCR markers were developed to construct the final map. Three SNP-based PCR markers co-segregated and mapped closest to the resistance gene at a distance of 2 cM. The gene LrM was distinguished from all the other genes designated and mapped on chromosome arm 2AS by molecular markers and rust reaction. All five markers used in the mapping amplified identical alleles in the donor Ae. markgrafii accession and introgression line ER9-700. The chromosomal location and rust reaction suggest that LrM is a novel leaf rust resistance gene that may be useful in broadening the genetic base of leaf rust resistance in wheat.

Plant genetic resources in India: management and utilization

Plant genetic resources (PGR) are the foundation of agriculture as well as food and nutritional security. The ICAR-NBPGR is the nodal institution at national level for management of PGR in India under the umbrella of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. India being one of the gene-rich countries faces a unique challenge of protecting its natural heritage while evolving mutually beneficial strategies for germplasm exchange with other countries. The Bureaus activities include PGR exploration, collection, exchange, characterization, evaluation, conservation and documentation. It also has the responsibility to carry out quarantine of all imported PGR including transgenics meant for research purposes. The multifarious activities are carried out from ICAR-NBPGR headquarters and its 10 regional stations located in different agro-climatic zones of India. It has linkages with international organizations of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and national crop-based institutes to accomplish its mandated activities. NBPGR collects and acquires germplasm from various sources, conserves it in the Genebank, characterizes and evaluates it for different traits and provides ready material for breeders to develop varieties for farmers. ICAR-NBPGR encompasses the National Genebank Network and at present, the National Genebank conserves more than 0.40 million accessions. NBPGR works in service-mode for effective utilization of PGR in crop improvement programmes which depends mainly on its systematic characterization and evaluation, and identification of potentially useful germplasm. NBPGR is responsible for identifying trait-specific pre-adapted climate resilient genotypes, promising material with disease resistance and quality traits which the breeders use for various crop improvement programmes. The system has contributed immensely towards safeguarding the indigenous and introducing useful exotic PGR for enhancing the agricultural production. Presently, our focus is on characterization of ex situ conserved germplasm and detailed evaluation of prioritized crops for enhanced utilization; assessment of impact of on-farm conservation practices on genetic diversity; genome-wide association mapping for identification of novel genes and alleles for enhanced utilization of PGR; identification and deployment of germplasm/landraces using climate analog data; validation of trait-specific introduced germplasm for enhanced utilization. Key words: plant genetic resources; gene banks; wild relatives; biotic and abiotic stresses; marker-assisted selection.

Groundwater quality and vertical electrical sounding data of the Valliyar River Basin, South West Coast of Tamil Nadu, India

The present study was carried out to assess the drinking water quality and aquifer characteristics of the Valliyar river basin in Kanyakumari district. 71 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed to understand the quality of water based on the index parameters. 23 vertical electrical soundings (VES) were conducted to understand the subsurface characteristics and their impact on the quality of water. The VES data suggested that the subsurface lithology consist of three distinct layers. The water quality index (WQI) showed that 25% of the samples falling under excellent water and 51% of the samples were classified as good water and another 24% belong in the poor water category.

Development of Improved Software Intelligent System for Audiological Solutions

Of late, there has been an increase in hearing impairment cases and to provide the most advantageous solutions to them is an uphill task for audiologists. Significant difficulty faced by the audiologists is in effective programming of hearing aids to provide enhanced satisfaction to the users. The main aim of our study was to develop a software intelligent system (SIS): (i) to perform the required audiological investigations for finding the degree and type of hearing loss, and (ii) to suggest appropriate values of hearing aid parameters for enhancing the speech intelligibility and the satisfaction level among the hearing aid users. In this paper, we present a Neuro-Fuzzy based SIS to automatically predict and suggest the hearing-aid parameters such as gain values, compression ratio and threshold knee point, which are needed to be fixed for different octave frequencies of sound inputs during the hearing-aid trial. The test signals for audiological investigations are generated through the standard hardware present in a personal computer system and with the aid of a software algorithm. The proposed system was validated with 243 subjects' data collected at the Government General Hospital, Chennai, India. The calculated sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the proposed audiometer incorporated in the SIS were 98.6%, 96.4 and 98.2%, respectively, by comparing its interpretations with those of the 'gold standard' audiometers. Furthermore, 91% (221 of 243) of the hearing impaired subjects attained satisfaction in the first hearing aid trials itself with the gain values as recommended by the improved SIS. The proposed system reduced around 75% of the 'trial and error' time spent by audiologists for enhancing satisfactory usage of the hearing aid. Hence, the proposed SIS could be used to find the degree and type of hearing loss and to recommend hearing aid parameters to provide optimal solutions to the hearing aid users.

Evaluating the association of bone morphogenetic protein 4-V152A and SIX homeobox 6-H141N polymorphisms with congenital cataract and microphthalmia in Western Indian population

Background:

Congenital cataract and microphthalmia are highly heterogeneous congenital eye disorders that affect normal vision. Although mutation in several genes has been shown to cause congenital cataract and microphthalmia, genetic studies associating single-nucleotide polymorphisms with these conditions is scarce. Hence, the present study aims to investigate the association of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4)-V152A (rs17563), and SIX homeobox 6 (SIX6)-H141N (rs33912345) polymorphisms with congenital cataract and microphthalmia in Western Indian cohorts.

Materials and Methods:

BMP4-V152A and SIX6-H141N were genotyped in 561 participants comprising of 242 congenital cataracts, 52 microphthalmia, and 267 controls using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO)-PCR method, respectively.

Results:

The frequency of BMP4- 152A was found to be significantly different between the cases and controls (Odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4 [1.03–1.76], P = 0.0275). The frequency of BMP4- 152AA genotype was found to be significantly higher in congenital cataract cases as compared to controls (OR [95% CI] = 2.1 [1.14–3.67], P = 0.0154. The V-N haplotype of BMP4-V152A and SIX6-H141N was found to have a protective effect toward congenital cataract (OR [95% CI] = 0.72 [0.56–0.94], P = 0.0163) and microphthalmia (OR [95% CI] = 0.63 [0.40–1.01, P = 0.0541).

Conclusions:

The BMP4- 152AA genotype might play role in the causation of congenital cataract, whereas BMP4-SIX6 V-N haplotype might play a protective role toward the development of congenital cataract and microphthalmia.

Cost effective synthesis of a copper-1H-imidazole@activated carbon metal organic framework as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications

A simple and sonochemically synthesized Cu-IC MOF exhibits good supercapacitive behaviour.

Risk Factors of Clinical and Immunological Failure in South Indian Cohort on Generic Antiretroviral Therapy

BACKGROUND

Since the time of NACO Antiretroviral (ART) roll-out, generic ART has been the mainstay of therapy. There are many studies documenting the efficacy of generic ART but with the passage of time, failure of therapy is on the rise. As institution of second line ART has significant financial implications both for a program and for an individual it is imperative that we determine factors which contribute towards treatment failure in a cohort of patients on generic antiretroviral therapy.

METHODOLOGY

This was a nested matched case-control study assessing the predictors for treatment failure in our cohort who had been on Anti-retroviral therapy for at least a year. We identified 42 patients (Cases) with documented treatment failure out of our cohort of 823 patients and 42 sex, age and duration of therapy-matched controls. Using a structured proforma, we collected information from the out-patient and in-patient charts of the Infectious Diseases clinic Cohort in CMC, Vellore. A set of predetermined variables were studied as potential risk factors for treatment failure on ART.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis showed significant association with 1) Self-reported nonadherence<95% [OR 12.81 (95%CI 1.54-281.45)]. 2) Treatment interruptions in adherent cases (OR 9.56 (95% CI 1.11-213.35)]. 3) Past inappropriate therapies [OR 9.65 (95% CI 1.12-215.94)]. 4) Diarrhoea [OR 16.40 (95% CI 2.02-3.55.960]. 5) GI opportunistic infections (OR 11.06 (95% CI 1.31 -244.27)] and 6) Drug Toxicity [OR 3.69 (95% CI 1.15-12.35).In multiple logistic regression analysis, we found independent risk factors of treatment failure to be: Self-reported non-adherence (<95%) with OR 15.46(95%CI 1.55 - 154.08), drug toxicity - OR 4.13(95%CI 1.095 - 15.534) and history of diarrhoea - OR 23.446(95%CI 2.572 - 213.70).

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that besides adherence to therapy, presence of diarrhoea and occurrence of drug toxicity are significant risk factors associated with failure of anti-retroviral therapy. There is a need for further prospective studies to assess their role in development of treatment failure on ART and thus help development of targeted interventions.

Establishment of cell line with NK/NKT phenotype from myeloid NK cell acute leukemia

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is the most common malignancy in adults with a 5-year survival rate of 27% of the total affected population. For effective treatment and new drug discovery, cell lines are considered as a very important tool. Here we report an establishment of a continuous human cell line AML-004 with a hypo-diploid chromosome 44 and presence of both NK/NKT phenotypes. The cell line was isolated from the blood sample of myeloid NK cell acute leukemia patients and extensively characterized by flow cytometery, morphology, and cytogentic analysis. Cytotoxicity by standard chemotherapeutic drugs was also examined. As characterized by Giemsa staining, the predominant cell type in the culture had high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. Cytogenetic analysis revealed high chromosome instability and structural abnormalities confirming the source of cell line from a patient with AML. The karyotype of the isolated cells did not alter up to around 40 passages. These AML-004 cells lacked specific markers for B and T lymphoid cells, but expressed surface receptors for lymphoid/NK cells. Cells also lacked the presence of early progenitors. The proliferation of the isolated cells was inversely proportional to the IL-2 concentration confirming presence of NK phenotype. AML-004 was resistant against standard chemotherapeutic drugs excluding cisplatin. Thus, AML-004 cells provide a continuous source of human cells for designing novel therapies for patients with T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma.

Fertility sparing management of large cell neuroendocrine tumour of cervix: A case report & review of literature

Large cell neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare and aggressive cancer that tends to spread and recur early despite intensive multimodal treatment. Conventional treatment strategies for early stage neuroendocrine tumour (NET) include radical hysterectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. There are only 2 reported cases of fertility sparing treatment for NET. We report on the first case of successful conception and delivery at term following radical trachelectomy for early stage LCNEC.

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First reported case of delivery at term following radical trachelectomy for LCNEC

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3 year recurrence free survival following radical trachelectomy in LCNEC

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Continue data collection on both oncologic and fertility outcomes in LCNEC

Renal tubular dysfunction associated with tenofovir therapy

OBJECTIVE

To describe the i ncidence a nd cha racteristics of Tenofovir (TDF) induced nephrotoxicity among people living with HIV AIDS (PLHA) receiving TDF based anti-retroviral therapy (ART) at Christian Medical College, Vellore.

METHOD

Medical record review of all the PLHA who is being enrolled and followed up at the ART clinic at CMC, Vellore.

RESULTS

From 2006-11, a total of 274 PLHA have been initiated on TDF based ART. 10 (3.6%) patients developed TDF induced renal dysfunction after a mean duration of 42.6 (SD 19.5) months. 5 patients were female. At the time of initiation of TDF, the mean age was 41.2 (SD 6.1) years and CD4 T-cell count was 281.2 (SD 241.3) cells/μL. 9 patients were started on an NNRTI-based regimen, while only 1 was on a Pl/r-based regimen. 5 patients were asymptomatic. Out of the 5 symptomatic patients, 3 patients complained of anorexia and tiredness only; 1 patient had bone pains and proximal pelvic girdle muscle weakness only while 1 patient had both anorexia and proximal pelvic girdle muscle weakness. Urine examination of 8 patients (all symptomatic and 4 asymptomatic patients) revealed proteinuria on urine dip stick assay (1+ to 3+) without active sediments. 9 patients had decline in the estimated creatinine clearance from mean of 84.1 (SD 21.0) to 62.1 (SD 26.3) mL/min/1.73 m2. The mean plasma phosphate level was 2.08 (SD 0.45) mg/ dL. The mean alkaline phosphatase level increased from 130.7 to 290.8 U/L. Seven patients had features of Fanconi syndrome. All symptomatic patients showed clinical improvement within 2-7 months of discontinuation ofTDF and supplementation of phosphate and calcium.

CONCLUSION

TDF-associated renal dysfunction has a long incubation period during which the patients are largely asymptomatic and reversible. Hence laboratory confirmation is essential with creatinine clearance, urine examination, and phosphate levels. Prompt change of TDF leads to almost complete resolution of the tubular dysfunction.

Risk factors for mortality in a south Indian population on generic antiretroviral therapy

BACKGROUND

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) programs from low-income countries utilizing standardized ART regimens, simplified approaches to clinical decision making and basic lab monitoring have reported high mortality rates. We determined the risk factors for mortality among HIV-infected adults following the initiation of ART from a single center in south India.

METHODS

ART-naive HIV-infected south Indian adults attending the Infectious Diseases clinic in a 2000-bed academic medical center in south India who were initiated on ART (generic, fixed-dose combinations) as per the national guidelines were followed up. Cases (32 patients who died) were compared with age and sex matched controls.

RESULTS

Eight-hundred and twenty-two patients were started on ART from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2008. The cumulative mortality was 6.8% (56/822). Among the cases mean age was 44 years, 18% were women and mean CD4 counts was 107 cells/microl. Among the controls mean age was 41 years, 18% were women and mean CD4 counts were 113 cells/microl. Stavudine based ART was predominant 62.5% in the cases vs 37.5% in the controls, followed by zidovudine based therapy in 31.2% of cases and 43.7% in the controls. Tenofovir based therapy was used in 6.2% of cases vs 18.7% in the controls. The commonest causes of death were drug toxicity 19%, advanced Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in 37%, Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) in 16%, non AIDS related deaths in 22% and malignancies 6%. In a univariate analysis, absolute lymphocyte count <1200 cells/cmm (p=0.03), development of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) (p=0.000) and mean CD4 cell count increase <75 cells/microl after 1 year of ART (p=0.001) were significantly associated with mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

The mortality among our patients was comparable to that reported from other low-income countries. Earlier initiation of ART may reduce the high mortality rates observed.

Plant growth promoting potential and soil enzyme production of the most abundant Streptomyces spp. from wheat rhizosphere

AIM

To evaluate the plant growth promotion (PGP) potential and soil enzyme production under solid state fermentation (SSF) by most abundant Streptomyces spp. isolated from the wheat rhizosphere and to evaluate their effect on plant growth parameters.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Actinomycetes were isolated from wheat rhizosphere and screened for PGP activities. Three actinomycete isolates having significantly higher PGP activities (Streptomyces rochei IDWR19, Streptomyces carpinensis IDWR53, Streptomyces thermolilacinus IDWR81) were selected. The soil enzymes production potential of these isolates using soil extract and wheat straw under ssf was assessed. Utilization of soil extract as a fermentation medium for soil enzyme production by Actinomycetes has been reported first time in this study. Maximum chitinase (S. rochei IDWR19 12·2 U mg(-1) protein) and phytase activity (S. carpinensis IDWR53 5·2 U mg(-1) protein) was produced on 7th day of incubation, whereas maximum alkaline protease (S. rochei IDWR19 3·2 U mg(-1) protein) was produced on 6th day of incubation. For cellulase (S. rochei IDWR19 7·4 U mg(-1) protein) and invertase (S. carpinensis IDWR53 451 U mg(-1) protein) maximum activity was observed on 4th as well as 5th day of incubation. On the basis of PGP activity and enzyme production, two actinomycete isolates (S. rochei IDWR19 and S. thermolilacinus IDRWR81) were selected for plant growth experiment. An increase of 12·2 and 24·5% in shoot length of plants inoculated with S. rochei IDWR19 and S. thermolilacinus IDWR81 was observed, respectively. A similar increase in biomass of 1·8- and 2·3-fold was also recorded for the two isolates, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

It could be concluded that Streptomyces sp. with high PGP activities and soil enzyme production capability significantly improved growth and development of wheat cv.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The abundant Actinomycetes obtained in this study (S. rochei IDWR19 and S. thermolilacinus IDWR81) are rhizosphere competent and effective strains.