Ferrocene probe-assisted fluorescence quenching of PEI-carbon dots for NO detection and the logic gates based sensing of NO enabled by trimodal detection

Our research demonstrates the effectiveness of fluorescence quenching between polyethyleneimine functionalised carbon dots (PEI-CDs) and cyclodextrin encapsulated ferrocene for fluorogenic detection of nitric oxide (NO). We confirmed that ferrocene can be used as a NO probe by observing its ability to quench the fluorescence emitted from PEI-CDs, with NO concentrations ranging from 1 × 10-6 M to 5 × 10-4 M. The photoluminescence intensity (PL) of PEI-CDs decreased linearly, with a detection limit of 500 nM. Previous studies have shown that ferrocene is a selective probe for NO detection in biological systems by electrochemical and colorimetric methods. The addition of fluorogenic NO detection using ferrocene as a probe enables the development of a three-way sensor probe for NO. Furthermore, the triple mode NO detection (electrochemical, colorimetric, and fluorogenic) with ferrocene aids in processing sensing data in a controlled manner similar to Boolean logic operations. This work presents key findings on the mechanism of fluorescence quenching between ferrocene hyponitrite intermediate and PEI-CDs, the potential of using ferrocene for triple channel NO detection as a single molecular entity, and the application of logic gates for NO sensing.

Super-resolution deep neural network (SRDNN) based multi-image steganography for highly secured lossless image transmission

Information exchange and communication through the Internet are one of the most crucial aspects of today's information technology world. The security of information transmitted online has grown to be a critical concern, particularly in the transfer of medical data. To overcome this, the data must be delivered securely without being altered or lost. This can be possibly done by combining the principles of cryptography and steganography. In the recent past, steganography is used with simpler methods like the least significant bit manipulation technique, in order to encode a lower-resolution image into a higher-resolution image. Here, we attempt to use deep neural networks to combine many two-dimensional colour images of the same resolution into a single cover image with the same resolution. In this technique, many secret images are concealed inside a single cover image using deep neural networks. The embedded cover image is then encrypted using a 3D chaotic map for diffusion and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for confusion to increase security.Supporting the fact that neural networks experience losses, the proposed system recovers up to 93% of the hidden image concealed in the original image. As the secret image features are identified and combined along with the cover image, the time complexity involved in the security process is minimized by 78% compared to securing the original data.

Recent advances in biopolymer-based hydrogels and their potential biomedical applications

Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of polymer chains containing large amounts of water in their structure. Hydrogels have received significant attention in biomedical applications owing to their attractive physicochemical properties, including flexibility, softness, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Different natural and synthetic polymers have been intensely explored in developing hydrogels for the desired applications. Biopolymers-based hydrogels have advantages over synthetic polymers regarding improved cellular activity and weak immune response. These properties can be further improved by grafting with other polymers or adding nanomaterials, and they structurally mimic the living tissue environments, which opens their broad applicability. The hydrogels can be physically or chemically cross-linked depending on the structure. The use of different biopolymers-based hydrogels in biomedical applications has been reviewed and discussed earlier. However, no report is still available to comprehensively introduce the synthesis, advantages, disadvantages, and biomedical applications of biopolymers-based hydrogels from the material point of view. Herein, we systematically overview different synthesis methods of hydrogels and provide a holistic approach to biopolymers-based hydrogels for biomedical applications, especially in bone regeneration, wound healing, drug delivery, bioimaging, and therapy. The current challenges and prospects of biopolymers-based hydrogels are highlighted rationally, giving an insight into the progress of these hydrogels and their practical applications.

In vitro anti-prostate adenocarcinoma and lung cancer studies of phenoxyaniline-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) based nanocomposites via controlled radical polymerization

A phenoxyaniline-based macroinitiator is utilized for the first time in order to produce phenoxyaniline-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) composites through single electron transfer-living radical polymerization (SET-LRP) under mild conditions. A different weight percentage of Cloisite 93A is added into the polymer mixtures in order to increase their biochemical properties. The prepared block copolymer nanocomposites are characterized using ATR-IR, UV-vis-spectroscopy, XRD, Raman, TGA, DSC, a particle size analyzer, contact angle measurements and SEM in order to characterize their structural, thermal, surface and morphological properties. Further, the developed polymeric nanocomposites are successfully applied in two different cancer cell lines (prostate adenocarcinoma and lung cancer), which show excellent anticancer properties. Also, acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EtBr) dual staining is performed, which causes drastic cell death by apoptosis in both A549 and PC-3 cell lines, which indicated that the prepared polymeric nanocomposites effectively inhibit the cell proliferation and induce the apoptosis in both the cancer cells. Here nanoclay is used for cancer treatment because of its complete water solubility, which essentially causes the formation of a cationic complex between the clay and drug through electrostatic interactions. Hence, the exchange of ions between the clay and other ions in the biological environment leads to inhibition of the proliferation of prostate adenocarcinoma and lung cancer cells in the system.

Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India - A multicentric matched case-control study

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES

In view of anecdotal reports of sudden unexplained deaths in India's apparently healthy young adults, linking to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection or vaccination, we determined the factors associated with such deaths in individuals aged 18-45 years through a multicentric matched case-control study.

METHODS

This study was conducted through participation of 47 tertiary care hospitals across India. Cases were apparently healthy individuals aged 18-45 years without any known co-morbidity, who suddenly (<24 h of hospitalization or seen apparently healthy 24 h before death) died of unexplained causes during 1 st October 2021-31 st March 2023. Four controls were included per case matched for age, gender and neighborhood. We interviewed/perused records to collect data on COVID-19 vaccination/infection and post-COVID-19 conditions, family history of sudden death, smoking, recreational drug use, alcohol frequency and binge drinking and vigorous-intensity physical activity two days before death/interviews. We developed regression models considering COVID-19 vaccination ≤42 days before outcome, any vaccine received anytime and vaccine doses to compute an adjusted matched odds ratio (aOR) with 95 per cent confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Seven hundred twenty nine cases and 2916 controls were included in the analysis. Receipt of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine lowered the odds [aOR (95% CI)] for unexplained sudden death [0.58 (0.37, 0.92)], whereas past COVID-19 hospitalization [3.8 (1.36, 10.61)], family history of sudden death [2.53 (1.52, 4.21)], binge drinking 48 h before death/interview [5.29 (2.57, 10.89)], use of recreational drug/substance [2.92 (1.1, 7.71)] and performing vigorous-intensity physical activity 48 h before death/interview [3.7 (1.36, 10.05)] were positively associated. Two doses lowered the odds of unexplained sudden death [0.51 (0.28, 0.91)], whereas single dose did not.

INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 vaccination did not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death among young adults in India. Past COVID-19 hospitalization, family history of sudden death and certain lifestyle behaviors increased the likelihood of unexplained sudden death.

A Study to Assess Etiology and Prevalence of Signs and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorder

Aim

The purpose of this epidemiological research was to determine how common temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms are.

Materials and Methods

Among the outpatient population, a sample of 100 people was chosen at random. A patient survey was presented to each person, and points were allotted based on their responses. Participants were categorized as having no symptoms of TMD, mild TMD, moderate TMD, or severe TMD based on their total score.

Results

One hundred adults aged 18 and above were selected from the general public to take part in the research. Temporomandibular disorder was present in no more than 30% of those studied, in the mild range in 50%, in the moderate range in 15%, and in the severe range in 5%. 0.602 was determined to be the dependability of Fonseca's questionnaire.

Conclusion

The Fonseca questionnaire is a useful instrument for gauging the extent to which TMD symptoms are present in a given population. The screening questionnaire may be received in a short amount of time and for little money, making it a good option for public health services.

Self-negligence and awareness among oral precancerous and cancer patients - A cross-sectional questionnaire study

Background

The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) reports that India has the highest global prevalence of oral cancers. The incidence is significantly more in developing countries when compared to the developed countries. Early detection is key to increasing the survival rate of the patients. Important causes for this late diagnosis could be self-negligence, lack of patient awareness about the causes and asymptomatic and subtle clinical presentation of the lesions.

Aim

To assess the causes of self-neglect and awareness levels among oral cancer and pre-cancerous patients.

Settings and Design

A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among pre-cancerous and cancerous patients.

Methods and Material

A questionnaire with 16 closed-ended questions was framed relating to the causes of self-neglect and awareness of the patients. A total of 45 patients were selected by convenient sampling technique from the Institutional Tumour Board register of which 62 per cent were male patients and 38 per cent were female patients.

Statistical Analysis

Data analysis for demographic data, patients' awareness, and causes of self-neglect about precancer and cancer was done using SPSS Version 10.

Results and Conclusions

The present study concluded that the patients had adequate awareness that deleterious habits could lead to cancer but had a low level of awareness about the other causes of cancer, symptoms and management options available to treat cancer. The study result emphasizes that the government should plan for more cancer-screening camps in order to prevent the progression of cancer and to increase the awareness. (Reference I.D.: 2015-05006 for funding the project. ICMR).

Factors influencing the acquisition of COVID infection among high-risk contacts of COVID-19 patients in Madurai district-A case control study

Introduction

COVID is a new disease; understanding the transmission dynamics and epidemiological characteristics may help in developing the effective control measures. The study is done 1. To determine the various factors influencing the acquisition of COVID-19 infection among high-risk contacts 2. To estimate the secondary attack rate among high-risk contacts 3. To determine the factors in COVID index cases influencing their secondary attack rate.

Methodology

Unmatched case control study was conducted from March to August 2020 among 139 COVID index cases in Madurai district from March-May (Reference period) and their 50 COVID positive (cases), 551 COVID negative (controls) high-risk contacts. Case investigation form* and contact tracing Proforma*were used to collect data. Chi-square test and independent sample t test were used to find out the association. Univariate* and Multivariate logistic regression* were used to predict the risk of various factors in acquisition of COVID infection with the help of adjusted and unadjusted odds ratio. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Male contacts (P = 0.005, OR = 2.520), overcrowding (P = 0.007, OR = 3.810), and duration of exposure to index case (for 4-7 days P = 0.014, OR = 2.902, for >7 days P = 0.001, OR = 6.748 and for > 12 hours/day P = 0.000, OR = 5.543) were significant factors predicted to be associated with acquisition of COVID infection among high-risk contacts. Reproductive number (R0)* estimated was 1.3. Secondary attack rate (SAR)* estimated among high-risk contacts was 8.32%. Index cases whose outcome was death (P = 0.026); symptomatic index cases (P = 0.000), cases with fever (P = 0.001); sorethroat (P = 0.019); breathlessness (P = 0.010); cough (P = 0.006) and running nose (P = 0.002) had significantly higher mean SAR than their counterparts.

Conclusion

Contacts with above said risk factors who were found to be more prone to infection could be given special focus to prevent the transmission in them.

Assessment of retinal manifestations of Parkinson's disease using spectral domain optical coherence tomography: A study in Indian eyes

Purpose:

To assess the retinal manifestations of Parkinson’s disease using optical coherence tomography.

Methods:

A prospective case-control study comparing 30 eyes from 15 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 22 eyes from 11 healthy age-matched controls. Total macular subfield thickness and the thickness of the ganglion cell layer, nerve fiber layer, and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer were measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Results:

The mean age of PD patients was 68.4 years ± 10.64 (range: 46–82) and in the control group was 66.36 ± 5.22 (range: 64–68). The average disease duration in patients with PD was 6.7 ± 2.8 years (range: 2–10 years). The mean best-corrected visual acuity in PD was 20/26 and 20/20 in controls, with P = 0.0059, which was significant. Significant difference was also found in the contrast sensitivity between both groups. Structural differences in the central macular thickness (P = 0.0001), subfield thicknesses in the superior (P = 0.003), inferior (P = 0.001), nasal (P = 0.004), and temporal subfields (P = 0.017) was seen. Severe thinning of the ganglion cell layer was seen in PD patients (P = 0.000) as well as of the nerve fiber layer (P = 0.004). Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber thickness measured showed significant thinning in superotemporal (P = 0.000), superonasal (P = 0.04), inferonasal (P = 0.000), inferotemporal (P = 0.000), nasal (P = 0.000), and temporal quadrants (P = 0.000).

Conclusion:

Visual dysfunction was observed in patients with PD along with structural alterations on OCT, which included macular volumes, ganglion cell layer, and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer.

A cross sectional study on psychological impact of covid19 on post graduate doctors and Compulsory Rotatory Residential interns in COVID isolation ward of a tertiary care centre, Madurai

Background

COVID-19 pandemic causes major impact on economic, physical, mental well-being of people all over the world. Doctors are working in stressful, unprepared, limited resource setting, and they are under the continuous threat of getting infection. Managing mental health of these warriors is great importance. Hence the present study to estimate the psychological impact of COVID-19* and factors associated with it among doctors in tertiary care hospital, Madurai.

Methods

A Cross-sectional study was conducted during October–November 2020 using a pre-designed semi structured questionnaire and DASS-21 scale which were sent through Google form to doctors who were in their quarantine period after the COVID duty. Totally 292 responses were received. Descriptive statistics done to find frequencies and percentages. Correlation for continuous variables; Univariate and multivariate regression for categorical variables were used to predict the factors influencing the psychological impact.

Results

In our study, 42.1% doctors were depressed, 43.8% were stressed and 50.7% had anxiety. Depression*, anxiety*, stress* scores were positively correlated with number of COVID duties(r² 0.163,0.138,0.133), number of elderly persons(r² 0.188,0.169,0.188) in their family and negatively correlated with sleep duration(r ²–0.219,-0.281,-0.239), attitude of study participants(r²-0.319,-0.274,-0.291). Multiple logistic regression showed that disturbed sleep(odd'sratio = 3.931,2.734,3.420) and poor quality of sleep which affect the next day function(odd'sratio = 3.470,2.968,3.122) were significant predictors for all three psychological impacts.

Conclusion

High prevalence of psychological impact estimated, ensures the requirement of early screening with timely psychological intervention and establishment of guideline policies to support mental health of healthcare workers* for maintaining the functionality of healthcare system.

Formulation and Evaluation of Gabapentin Sustained Release Matrix Tablet Using Hibiscus rosa sinensis Leaves Mucilage as Release Retardant

The major goal of this study was to develop and evaluate Sustained release matrix tablets of Gabapentin with Hibiscus rosa - sinensis leaves mucilage prepared by using wet granulation technique with microcrystalline cellulose as a diluents and magnesium stearate as a lubricant. Pre-compression and post-compression evaluation of physicochemical parameters were carried out and to be within acceptable limits. Drug and polymer compatibility were validated by FTIR measurements. Further, tablets were evaluated for in vitro release study. To get the sustained release of Gabapentin, the concentration of Hibiscus rosa- sinensis mucilage was tuned with a gas-generating agent. The % drug release of all formulation from F1 to F5 showed 91.24%, 80.24%, 70.53%, 62.12% and 49.83% respectively. All the dosage form release kinetics was computed using zero order, first order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer–Peppas methods. From the above results, it is concluded that the n value of formulation F5 showed 0.78 suggesting anomalous (non-fickian) behavior of the drug. Mucilage from the leaves of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has a great retarding effect in drug release from sustained release tablets.

Demographic profile of COVID-19 positive mothers & their outcome in government Rajaji hospital, Madurai, Tamilnadu - A cross sectional Study

Background

COVID-19 is a new pandemic disease. This disease course and its effect on pregnancy is little known due to limited available data. The objective of this study was to describe the demographic profile of COVID-19 positive mothers admitted in Government Rajaji hospital, Madurai in terms of time, place and person and to assess the general and pregnancy outcome of study population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was done among 381 COVID-19 positive mothers* admitted during March 22 – August 31, 2020 in dedicated COVID-19 hospital, Madurai. Data was collected using Case Investigation Form (CIF) as a part of Rapid Response Team*(RRT) by Community Medicine* Department and analysed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics done; Chi-square test & Fischer exact test was done to find out association between patient profile and outcomes.

Results

Out of 381, 154 (40.4%) belonged to 21–25 years, 192 (50.4%) to rural area, 318 (83.5%) to 3rd trimester,189 (49.6%) Primi gravida. 125 (32.8%) were symptomatic and 153 (80.8%) had at least one comorbidity. Death as general outcome was 3 (0.8%), all of them were referred cases and had comorbidity like GDM/PIH. 10 (2.62%) had abortion or perinatal death, 14 (3.77%) had preterm delivery, 99 (25.98%) babies were born small for gestational age. Increased maternal age had more death but was not statistically significant; All symptomatic mothers (p = 0.000),1st & 2nd trimester (p = 0.000) mothers had statistically significant poor pregnancy outcome*.

Conclusion

COVID positive mothers with increased age, symptomatic, 1st & 2nd trimester were significantly associated with poor outcome, requires special attention. Early referral must be emphasized to mitigate maternal death.

SVEP1 IS IMPORTANT FOR MORPHOGENESIS OF LYMPHATIC SYSTEM: POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS IN LYMPHEDEMA

SVEP1, also known as Polydom, is a large extracellular mosaic protein with functions in protein interactions and adhesion. Since Svep1 knockout animals show severe edema and lymphatic system malformations, the aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of SVEP1 variants in patients with lymphedema. We analyzed DNA from 246 lymphedema patients for variants in known lymphedema genes, 235 of whom tested negative and underwent a second testing for new candidate genes, including SVEP1, as reported here. We found three samples with rare heterozygous missense single-nucleotide variants in the SVEP1 gene. In one family, healthy members were found to carry the same variants and reported some subclinical edema. Based on our findings and a review of the literature, we propose SVEP1 as a candidate gene that should be sequenced in patients with lymphatic malformations, with or without lymphedema, in order to investigate and add evidence on its possible involvement in the development of lymphedema.

Deep learning framework for handling concept drift and class imbalanced complex decision-making on streaming data

In present times, data science become popular to support and improve decision-making process. Due to the accessibility of a wide application perspective of data streaming, class imbalance and concept drifting become crucial learning problems. The advent of deep learning (DL) models finds useful for the classification of concept drift in data streaming applications. This paper presents an effective class imbalance with concept drift detection (CIDD) using Adadelta optimizer-based deep neural networks (ADODNN), named CIDD-ADODNN model for the classification of highly imbalanced streaming data. The presented model involves four processes namely preprocessing, class imbalance handling, concept drift detection, and classification. The proposed model uses adaptive synthetic (ADASYN) technique for handling class imbalance data, which utilizes a weighted distribution for diverse minority class examples based on the level of difficulty in learning. Next, a drift detection technique called adaptive sliding window (ADWIN) is employed to detect the existence of the concept drift. Besides, ADODNN model is utilized for the classification processes. For increasing the classifier performance of the DNN model, ADO-based hyperparameter tuning process takes place to determine the optimal parameters of the DNN model. The performance of the presented model is evaluated using three streaming datasets namely intrusion detection (NSL KDDCup) dataset, Spam dataset, and Chess dataset. A detailed comparative results analysis takes place and the simulation results verified the superior performance of the presented model by obtaining a maximum accuracy of 0.9592, 0.9320, and 0.7646 on the applied KDDCup, Spam, and Chess dataset, respectively.

A cross-sectional study on COVID19 mortality among people below 30 years of age in Tamilnadu-2020

Introduction

The COVID19 pandemic has turned out to be one of the public health* burdens in 2020. The fear of deaths due to COVID19 has surmounted even in developed countries and hasn't spared young age. This study aims in assessing the mortality due to COVID19 among patients below 30years of age in TamilNadu.

Methods

The data was collected from a publicly available secondary data source(www.stopcorona.tn.gov.in)which is an official COVID19 state dashboard. Details of the young COVID19 deaths* under 30yrs of age, their gender, symptoms, Co-morbidities, date of symptoms, date of admission, and death were collected till October 2020. A total of 158 deaths were included in the analysis. Fischer exact test and Mann Whitney U test* were used and p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Among the 158 COVID19 deaths under 30 years of age, the median age affected was 25 years(IQR-7) and 70.3% (n-111) had at least one co-morbidity*. The median time interval between symptom onset and hospital admission was 3 days (IQR-3) and between admission and death was 4 days(IQR-7).There was a significant association of myocarditis, refractory seizures, Central nervous system involvement as the cause of death in the age group 0–15years, compared with 16–30years(p < 0.05). The majority of deaths occurred with a late presentation, also patients with higher age were admitted after 2 days of symptoms and the results were statistically significant(p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Understanding the age-dependent risk gradient and their trend of this new virus at young age* is essential for public health planning and prevent future deaths, future research gateways.

Genetic interactions effects for cancer disease identification using computational models: a review

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide clear insight into understanding genetic variations and environmental influences responsible for various human diseases. Cancer identification through genetic interactions (epistasis) is one of the significant ongoing researches in GWAS. The growth of the cancer cell emerges from multi-locus as well as complex genetic interaction. It is impractical for the physician to detect cancer via manual examination of SNPs interaction. Due to its importance, several computational approaches have been modeled to infer epistasis effects. This article includes a comprehensive and multifaceted review of all relevant genetic studies published between 2001 and 2020. In this contemporary review, various computational methods are as follows: multifactor dimensionality reduction-based approaches, statistical strategies, machine learning, and optimization-based techniques are carefully reviewed and presented with their evaluation results. Moreover, these computational approaches' strengths and limitations are described. The issues behind the computational methods for identifying the cancer disease through genetic interactions and the various evaluation parameters used by researchers have been analyzed. This review is highly beneficial for researchers and medical professionals to learn techniques adapted to discover the epistasis and aids to design novel automatic epistasis detection systems with strong robustness and maximum efficiency to address the different research problems in finding practical solutions effectively.

Antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity trait of a bioactive peptide purified from Lactococcus garvieae subsp. bovis BSN307T

A bioactive peptide of 8595 Da was purified from the cell free supernatant of Lactococcus garvieae subsp. bovis BSN307^T . MALDI MS/MS peptide mapping and the data base search displayed no significant similarity to any reported antimicrobial peptide of LAB. This peptide at a dose concentration of 200 µg ml^-1 inhibited the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by 58-89% and a dose of 500 µg ml^-1 scavenged 50% of DPPH-free radicals generated. Interestingly, cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that 17 µg ml^-1 of peptide selectively inhibited 50% proliferation of mammalian cancer cell lines HeLa and MCF-7 whereas normal H9c2 cells remained unaffected. Fluorescent microscopic analysis after DAPI nuclear staining of HeLa cells showed characteristics of apoptosis and activation of caspase-3 was ascertained by caspase-3 fluorescence assay.

SVEP1 is important for morphogenesis of lymphatic system: Possible implications in lymphedema

SVEP1, also known as Polydom, is a large extracellular mosaic protein with functions in protein interactions and adhesion. Since Svep1 knockout animals show severe edema and lymphatic system malformations, the aim of this study is to evaluate the presence of SVEP1 variants in patients with lymphedema. We analyzed DNA from 246 lymphedema patients for variants in known lymphedema genes, 235 of whom tested negative and underwent a second testing for new candidate genes, including SVEP1, as reported here. We found three samples with rare heterozygous missense single-nucleotide variants in the SVEP1 gene. In one family, healthy members were found to carry the same variants and reported some subclinical edema. Based on our findings and a review of the literature, we propose SVEP1 as a candidate gene that should be sequenced in patients with lymphatic malformations, with or without lymphedema, in order to investigate and add evidence on its possible involvement in the development of lymphedema.

REVIEW OF THE FUNCTION OF SEMA3A IN LYMPHATIC VESSEL MATURATION AND ITS POTENTIAL AS A CANDIDATE GENE FOR LYMPHEDEMA: ANALYSIS OF THREE FAMILIES WITH RARE CAUSATIVE VARIANTS

SEMA3A is a semaphorin involved in cell signaling with PlexinA1 and Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) receptors and it is responsible for recruiting dendritic cells into lymphatics. Mutations in the SEMA3A gene result in abnormalities in lymphatic vessel development and maturation. We investigated the association of SEMA3A variants detected in lymphedema patients with lymphatic maturation and lymphatic system malfunction. First, we used NGS technology to sequence the SEMA3A gene in 235 lymphedema patients who carry wild type alleles for known lymphedema genes. We detected three different missense variants in three families. Bioinformatic results showed that some protein interactions could be altered by these variants. Other unaffected family members of the probands also reported different episodes of subclinical edema. We then evaluated the importance of the SEMA3A gene in the formation and maturation of lymphatic vessels. Our results determined that SEMA3A variants segregate in families with lymphatic system malformations and recommend the inclusion of SEMA3A in the gene panel for testing of patients with lymphedema.

Review of the function of SEMA3A in lymphatic vessel maturation and its potential as a candidate gene for lymphedema: Analysis of three families with rare causative variants

SEMA3A is a semaphorin involved in cell signaling with PlexinA1 and Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) receptors and it is responsible for recruiting dendritic cells into lymphatics. Mutations in the SEMA3A gene result in abnormalities in lymphatic vessel development and maturation. We investigated the association of SEMA3A variants detected in lymphedema patients with lymphatic maturation and lymphatic system malfunction. First, we used NGS technology to sequence the SEMA3A gene in 235 lymphedema patients who carry wild type alleles for known lymphedema genes. We detected three different missense variants in three families. Bioinformatic results showed that some protein interactions could be altered by these variants. Other unaffected family members of the probands also reported different episodes of subclinical edema. We then evaluated the importance of the SEMA3A gene in the formation and maturation of lymphatic vessels. Our results determined that SEMA3A variants segregate in families with lymphatic system malformations and recommend the inclusion of SEMA3A in the gene panel for testing of patients with lymphedema.

Texture Analysis in Cerebral Gliomas: A Review of the Literature

Texture analysis is a continuously evolving, noninvasive radiomics technique to quantify macroscopic tissue heterogeneity indirectly linked to microscopic tissue heterogeneity beyond human visual perception. In recent years, systemic oncologic applications of texture analysis have been increasingly explored. Here we discuss the basic concepts and methodologies of texture analysis, along with a review of various MR imaging texture analysis applications in glioma imaging. We also discuss MR imaging texture analysis limitations and the technical challenges that impede its widespread clinical implementation. With continued advancement in computational processing, MR imaging texture analysis could potentially develop into a valuable clinical tool in routine oncologic imaging.

Unusual Difference in the Reactivity of Seven-Coordinated Mo(II) and W(II) Carbonyl Complexes, [MI2(CO)3(NCCH3)2] with Derivatised-DPPM, Me3SiN=PPh2CH2PPh2

The reaction of [Mo(CO)3I2(NCCH3)2] with a stoichiometric amount of Me3SiN=PPh2CH2PPh2 gives an octahedral complex, [Mo3I(CO)(η2-N=PPh2CH2PPh2)] by the metathetical elimination of Me3SiI. Interestingly, similar reaction of the analogous tungsten complex gives a seven-coordinated complex, [WI2(CO)3(η2-Me3SiN=PPh2CH2PPh2)] which ultimately hydrolyses to give an amide complex, [W(CO)3I2(η2-HN=PPh2CH2PPh2)]. The complexes have been characterised by microanalysis, IR and NMR (1H and 31P) spectroscopic data.

Healer Granules in Nonhealing Infected Wounds

Background:

Head-and-neck infection is one of the most frequently encountered issues in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Most of the cases with head-and-neck infections are managed by empirical antibiotic therapy and extraction of offending infected tooth/teeth. However, long-term systemic antibiotic therapy can have profound compromising effects on host immune defense and thereby hamper healing, which, in turn, may lead to life-threatening complications such as localized septic foci or widespread septicemia at times leading to death of an individual. In this study, we are reviewing management of 15 cases with space infection in the maxillofacial region by local drug delivery with the help of collagen particles combined with mupirocin 2% w/w and metronidazole 1% w/w (BioFil-AB). We intend to study its efficacy in managing the space infections associated with extraoral infected wound as well as in preventing hazards of long-term systemic antibiotic therapy.

Aims:

The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of the topical use of BioFil-AB in infected maxillofacial wounds.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 15 patients with infected maxillofacial wounds reporting to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery were categorized into three groups depending on the severity of infections. Of these 15 cases, 8 patients were suffering from infected extraoral wounds, 3 had traumatic infection, and remaining 4 had extraoral consolidated abscesses due to odontogenic infection. All patients had a history of prior antibiotic therapy. Incision and drainage of the septic focus/foci were performed in most of the cases, and healing of the site was assessed after application of topical BioFil-AB (mupirocin + metronidazole + collagen granules) dressing.

Results and Conclusion:

Dressing with BioFil-AB granules proved to be efficient in control of infection as well as in promoting uneventful wound healing, especially with good follow-up. Further studies with a large sample size may be necessary to corroborate the findings and provide substantial evidence. This novel local drug delivery therapy will definitely help in maintenance of good host immune response as well as in preventing or minimizing occurrence of antibiotic resistance.

Antiviral phytocompounds target envelop protein to control Zika virus

Zika virus infection causes serious birth defects, including microcephaly, when expectant mothers are infected during pregnancy. Zika outbreaks have been reported in the Pacific Islands, South America, the Caribbean, Africa and parts of South East Asia. Currently, there is no specific treatment available for Zika virus infection. Hence, the current study is focused to identify natural phytocompounds to control Zika virus from few endemic anti-viral herbs by in silico approach. Molecular interactions, Pharmacokinetic Study, Molecular dynamic simulation and annealing were carried out with the phytocompounds and checked using Lipinski filter. The interactions between the phytocompounds and Envelope protein (PDB id: 5JHM) of Zika virus was assessed with SYBYL-X 1.3. The results showed that tannic acid from Terminalia arjuna had better interaction, total score, CScore (6.792 and 5) and formed more number of Hydrogen bonds within 2.5 Å bond length, best activity in pharmacokinetic study, Molecular dynamic simulation and annealing temperature at 310 K. Our results suggested that tannic acid can be utilized as lead candidate to control Zika virus infection.