Tamil handwritten palm leaf manuscript dataset (THPLMD)

Most palm leaf manuscripts are generally accessible in deteriorated condition, including cracks, discoloration, moisture and humidity, and insects bite. Such a manuscript is considered challenging in the research field. We captured deteriorated Tamil palm leaves around 262 dataset samples are 'Naladiyar(27)',' Tholkappiyam(221)', and' Thirikadugam(14)' which are genned up mortal health, discipline, authoritative text on Tamil grammar. We contribute the high-quality raw dataset with the aid of a Nikon camera, pre-enhance samples by editing software tool, and applied the Otsu threshold to deliver the ground images through binarization as readily accessible content presenting a highly time-consuming task to play a vital role in Machine/Deep/ Transfer learning, AI, and ANN.

Universitising teacher education in Singapore: from the TTC to the NIE

The emergence of a modern teacher education system in Singapore can be traced to 1950 when the Teachers Training College (TTC) was established. The TTC was a separate entity from the School of Education at the University of Singapore. Rapid economic growth in the 1970s and 80s necessitated changes to upgrade the education system, such that school leavers could be better prepared for work in a post-industrial economy. It was recognised then that teacher preparation had to be upgraded to represent the field as an evidence-based profession, thus leading to the establishment of the Institute of Education in 1973; this was a significant first step in the journey towards universitising teacher education in Singapore. Continued and transformative economic growth in the 1980s and 90 s necessitated further changes in education goals, best represented by the Thinking Schools, Learning Nation initiative in 1997, the Teach Less Learn More initiative in 2004, and the ICT MasterPlans initiatives. In response, in 1991, the National Institute of Education (NIE) was established, as an institute of Nanyang Technological University. The move to universitise teacher education in Singapore enabled the profession to attract a better calibre of teacher-students, develop rigorous graduate and postgraduate programmes in education, recruit faculty with postgraduate qualifications, and invest in Singapore-centric education research. Though the journey has been long, steady progress towards universitisation has contributed significantly to Singapore's development, and the NIE can today claim to be an internationally recognised Institute of Distinction.

Discovery of (S)-1-((2',6-Bis(difluoromethyl)-[2,4'-bipyridin]-5-yl)oxy)-2,4-dimethylpentan-2-amine (BMS-986176/LX-9211): A Highly Selective, CNS Penetrable, and Orally Active Adaptor Protein-2 Associated Kinase 1 Inhibitor in Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Recent mouse knockout studies identified adapter protein-2 associated kinase 1 (AAK1) as a viable target for treating neuropathic pain. Potent small-molecule inhibitors of AAK1 have been identified and show efficacy in various rodent pain models. (S)-1-((2',6-Bis(difluoromethyl)-[2,4'-bipyridin]-5-yl)oxy)-2,4-dimethylpentan-2-amine (BMS-986176/LX-9211) (34) was identified as a highly selective, CNS penetrant, potent AAK1 inhibitor from a novel class of bi(hetero)aryl ethers. BMS-986176/LX9211 (34) showed excellent efficacy in two rodent neuropathic pain models and excellent central nervous system (CNS) penetration and target engagement at the spinal cord with an average brain to plasma ratio of 20 in rat. The compound exhibited favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, had an acceptable preclinical toxicity profile, and was chosen for clinical trials. BMS-986176/LX9211 (34) completed phase I trials with good human pharmacokinetics and minimum adverse events and is currently in phase II clinical trials for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04455633) and postherpetic neuralgia (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04662281).

Abstract P2-11-09: Comparing the effects of various beta blockers on cardiovascular-related mortality in breast cancer patients

Background: Breast cancer mortality has decreased along with advances in diagnosis and treatments. However, cardiovascular (CV) disease-related mortality is a growing concern in this population. Increased risk of CV diseases is primarily contributed by chemotherapy such as anthracyclines, anti-HER2 drugs like trastuzumab, and radiotherapy in breast cancer patients in addition to increased age. While beta blockers have been investigated to manage CV complications associated with these breast cancer treatments in general, various beta blockers have not been compared for their effects on death due to CV events. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of commonly used beta-blockers (metoprolol, carvedilol and atenolol) on CV-related mortality among older patients with breast cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the multi-year Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data (2009 to 2015). Patients diagnosed with breast cancer as the 1st or only cancer were included in this study and the date of diagnosis was the index date. The primary exposure was receipt of beta blocker monotherapy (metoprolol, carvedilol and atenolol) for at least 6 months prior to the index date. CV-related mortality was the outcome and was defined as death due to diseases of the heart. Patients were followed from the index date until the outcome or were censored at: the date of death due to breast cancer, death due to other reasons, discontinuation of the index beta-blocker, switching or addition of other beta-blockers, or end of the study period (December 31st 2015), whichever occurred first. Demographic and clinical covariates were identified using the Andersen Behavioral Model conceptual framework. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the difference in covariates between the three exposure groups. The competing risk regression model, adjusted for potential confounding variables, was used to study the association between the beta-blockers and the risk of CV-related mortality. Results: The study cohort included 6,540 patients of which 3,622 (55.4%) were metoprolol users, 989 (15.1%) carvedilol users, and 1,929 (29.5%) atenolol users. The mean age was 77.9 years for metoprolol users, 78.7 years for carvedilol users, and 76.8 years for atenolol users. A majority of the patients were White (86.8%), of Non- Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (95.1%), female (99.2%), diagnosed at stage 1 breast cancer (41.8%), of HR+/HER2- breast cancer subtype (62.8%), had between 1 to 3 Charlson comorbidities (50.6%), and did not have any other cancer after the incident diagnosis (87.8%). There were 36 (1.9%) atenolol users, 40 (4.0%) carvedilol users, and 70 (1.9%) metoprolol users with the outcome. The median time to outcome was 528 days in metoprolol users, 356 days in carvedilol users, and 411 days in atenolol users. In the adjusted model, older patients, and those with more than 3 Charlson comorbidities had a higher risk of CV-related mortality. Metoprolol was associated with a 38% (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.96, p=0.03) reduced risk of CV-related mortality compared to carvedilol users after adjusting for the covariates. There was no significant difference in the risk of CV-related mortality between atenolol and carvedilol users. Conclusion: In older patients with breast cancer, metoprolol was associated with a reduced risk of CV-related mortality compared to carvedilol. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Citation Format: Noor M Abdulkareem, Soumya G Chikermane, Suma Gopinathan, Michael L Johnson, Meghana V Trivedi. Comparing the effects of various beta blockers on cardiovascular-related mortality in breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-11-09.

A naturalistic observation study of medication counseling practices at retail chain pharmacies

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated medication counseling procedures and trends at retail pharmacies in the Houston metropolitan area through a naturalistic observational study.

METHODS

A blinded cross-sectional observational study was conducted at retail pharmacies in the Houston metropolitan area. Data were collected by trained observers utilizing an observational log, to record various parameters that could have an impact on the duration of patient-pharmacist interaction in a naturalistic pharmacy practice setting. Additionally, indicators of counseling such as utilization of the counseling window and performance of show-and-tell were recorded. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson correlations, ANOVAs, and multiple linear regressions.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-five interactions between patients and pharmacy staff were recorded at 45 retail pharmacies from 7 retail pharmacy chains. The counseling window was utilized in only 3 (1.81%) out of 165 observations and the show-and-tell process was observed in just 1(0.61%) interaction during this study. Mean (SD) interaction time between patient and pharmacists [159.50 (84.50)] was not statistically different (p>0.05) from the mean interaction time between patients and pharmacy technicians [139.30 (74.19)], irrespective of type of the retail chain observed. However, it was influenced by the number of patients waiting in queue. Patient wait time significantly differed by the time of the day the interaction was observed, weekends and weekdays had significantly different wait times and patient interaction times Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that, patient interaction time, pharmacy chain type, initial contact (pharmacist/technician), and time of the day, were significantly associated with patient wait time whereas patient wait time, pharmacy chain type, number of patients in queue, and number of pharmacy technician were significantly associated with interaction time.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found that the key indicators of counseling including the use of the counseling window and the show-and-tell process were absent, suggesting lack of adequate pharmacists counseling. Further studies are needed to evaluate the validity of this conclusion and the role of pharmacy services and its value towards medication use and safety.

LX2761, a Sodium/Glucose Cotransporter 1 Inhibitor Restricted to the Intestine, Improves Glycemic Control in Mice

LX2761 is a potent sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 inhibitor restricted to the intestinal lumen after oral administration. Studies presented here evaluated the effect of orally administered LX2761 on glycemic control in preclinical models. In healthy mice and rats treated with LX2761, blood glucose excursions were lower and plasma total glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels higher after an oral glucose challenge; these decreased glucose excursions persisted even when the glucose challenge occurred 15 hours after LX2761 dosing in ad lib-fed mice. Further, treating mice with LX2761 and the dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitor sitagliptin synergistically increased active GLP-1 levels, suggesting increased LX2761-mediated release of GLP-1 into the portal circulation. LX2761 also lowered postprandial glucose, fasting glucose, and hemoglobin A1C, and increased plasma total GLP-1, during long-term treatment of mice with either early- or late-onset streptozotocin-diabetes; in the late-onset cohort, LX2761 treatment improved survival. Mice and rats treated with LX2761 occasionally had diarrhea; this dose-dependent side effect decreased in severity and frequency over time, and LX2761 doses were identified that decreased postprandial glucose excursions without causing diarrhea. Further, the frequency of LX2761-associated diarrhea was greatly decreased in mice either by gradual dose escalation or by pretreatment with resistant starch 4, which is slowly digested to glucose in the colon, a process that primes the colon for glucose metabolism by selecting for glucose-fermenting bacterial species. These data suggest that clinical trials are warranted to determine if LX2761 doses and dosing strategies exist that provide improved glycemic control combined with adequate gastrointestinal tolerability in people living with diabetes.

Discovery of LX2761, a Sodium-Dependent Glucose Cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) Inhibitor Restricted to the Intestinal Lumen, for the Treatment of Diabetes

The increasing number of people afflicted with diabetes throughout the world is a major health issue. Inhibitors of the sodium-dependent glucose cotransporters (SGLT) have appeared as viable therapeutics to control blood glucose levels in diabetic patents. Herein we report the discovery of LX2761, a locally acting SGLT1 inhibitor that is highly potent in vitro and delays intestinal glucose absorption in vivo to improve glycemic control.

Design, synthesis, and in vivo activity of novel inhibitors of delta-5 desaturase for the treatment of metabolic syndrome

The synthesis, SAR, and in vivo activity of inhibitors of delta-5 desaturase are described. Ring-constraint of the initial series provided access to a variety of in vitro active chemotypes, from which the indazole was selected. Examples from the indazole series displayed in vivo activity in reducing the enzymatic activity of liver delta-5 desaturase.

LP-925219 maximizes urinary glucose excretion in mice by inhibiting both renal SGLT1 and SGLT2

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new class of oral anti-diabetic agents that improve glycemic control by inhibiting SGLT2-mediated renal glucose reabsorption. Currently available agents increase urinary glucose excretion (UGE) to <50% of maximal values because they do not inhibit SGLT1, which reabsorbs >50% of filtered glucose when SGLT2 is completely inhibited. This led us to test whether LP-925219, a small molecule dual SGLT1/SGLT2 inhibitor, increases UGE to maximal values in wild-type (WT) mice. We first tested LP-925219 inhibition of glucose transport by HEK293 cells expressing SGLT1 or SGLT2, and then characterized LP-925219 pharmacokinetics. We found that LP-925219 was a potent inhibitor of mouse SGLT1 (IC₅₀ = 22.6 nmol/L) and SGLT2 (IC₅₀ = 0.5 nmol/L), and that a 10 mg/kg oral dose was bioavailable (87%) with a long half-life (7 h). We next delivered LP-925219 by oral gavage to WT, SGLT1 knockout (KO), SGLT2 KO, and SGLT1/SGLT2 double KO (DKO) mice and measured their 24-h UGE. We found that, in vehicle-treated mice, DKO UGE was maximal and SGLT2 KO, SGLT1 KO, and WT UGEs were 30%, 2%, and 0.2% of maximal, respectively; we also found that LP-925219 dosed at 60 mg/kg twice daily increased UGE of SGLT1 KO, SGLT2 KO, and WT mice to DKO UGE levels. These findings show that orally available dual SGLT1/SGLT2 inhibitors can maximize 24-h UGE in mammals, and suggest that such agents merit further evaluation for their potential, in diabetic patients, to achieve better glycemic control than is achieved using selective SGLT2 inhibitors.

Discovery and Development of LX7101, a Dual LIM-Kinase and ROCK Inhibitor for the Treatment of Glaucoma

The structure of LX7101, a dual LIM-kinase and ROCK inhibitor for the treatment of ocular hypertension and associated glaucoma, is disclosed. Previously reported LIM kinase inhibitors suffered from poor aqueous stability due to solvolysis of the central urea. Replacement of the urea with a hindered amide resulted in aqueous stable compounds, and addition of solubilizing groups resulted in a set of compounds with good properties for topical dosing in the eye and good efficacy in a mouse model of ocular hypertension. LX7101 was selected as a clinical candidate from this group based on superior efficacy in lowering intraocular pressure and a good safety profile. LX7101 completed IND enabling studies and was tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial in glaucoma patients, where it showed efficacy in lowering intraocular pressure.

Inhibition of sphingosine 1-phosphate lyase for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: discovery of (E)-1-(4-((1R,2S,3R)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybutyl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl)ethanone oxime (LX2931) and (1R,2S,3R)-1-(2-(isoxazol-3-yl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl)butane-1,2,3,4-tetraol (LX2932)

Sphingosine 1-phosphate lyase (S1PL) has been characterized as a novel target for the treatment of autoimmune disorders using genetic and pharmacological methods. Medicinal chemistry efforts targeting S1PL by direct in vivo evaluation of synthetic analogues of 2-acetyl-4(5)-(1(R),2(S),3(R),4-tetrahydroxybutyl)-imidazole (THI, 1) led to the discovery of 2 (LX2931) and 4 (LX2932). The immunological phenotypes observed in S1PL deficient mice were recapitulated by oral administration of 2 or 4. Oral dosing of 2 or 4 yielded a dose-dependent decrease in circulating lymphocyte numbers in multiple species and showed a therapeutic effect in rodent models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Phase I clinical trials indicated that 2, the first clinically studied inhibitor of S1PL, produced a dose-dependent and reversible reduction of circulating lymphocytes and was well tolerated at dose levels of up to 180 mg daily. Phase II evaluation of 2 in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis is currently underway.

Early toxicology signal generation in the mouse

The rat has been the preferred rodent toxicology species since before regulatory requirements have been in place, and there exists in the pharmaceutical industry and the regulatory agencies a significant amount of historical data for the rat. The resulting experience base with the rat makes the possibility of replacing it with the mouse for regulated toxicology studies untenable for all but the most extreme circumstances. However, toxicologists are very familiar with the mouse as a model for chronic carcinogenicity studies, and there exist multiple preclinical mouse models of disease. The authors evaluated the use of the mouse for early in vivo toxicology signal generation and prioritization of small molecule lead compounds prior to nomination of a development candidate. In five-day oral gavage studies with three test agents in the mouse, the authors were able to identify the same dose-limiting toxicities as those identified in the rat, including examples of compound-mediated hemolysis as well as microscopic lesions in the alimentary canal, kidney, and pancreas. Performing early signal generation studies in the mouse allows for earlier assessment of the safety liabilities of small molecules, requires significantly less compound, and allows evaluation of more compounds earlier in the project's life cycle.

Inhibition of sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase for the treatment of autoimmune disorders

During nearly a decade of research dedicated to the study of sphingosine signaling pathways, we identified sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase (S1PL) as a drug target for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. S1PL catalyzes the irreversible decomposition of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) by a retro-aldol fragmentation that yields hexadecanaldehyde and phosphoethanolamine. Genetic models demonstrated that mice expressing reduced S1PL activity had decreased numbers of circulating lymphocytes due to altered lymphocyte trafficking, which prevented disease development in multiple models of autoimmune disease. Mechanistic studies of lymphoid tissue following oral administration of 2-acetyl-4(5)-(1(R),2(S),3(R),4-tetrahydroxybutyl)-imidazole (THI) 3 showed a clear relationship between reduced lyase activity, elevated S1P levels, and lower levels of circulating lymphocytes. Our internal medicinal chemistry efforts discovered potent analogues of 3 bearing heterocycles as chemical equivalents of the pendant carbonyl present in the parent structure. Reduction of S1PL activity by oral administration of these analogues recapitulated the phenotype of mice with genetically reduced S1PL expression.

Indole 3-acetic acid production by ectomycorrhizal fungi

Ability of 8 ectomycorrhizal fungi to synthesise indole 3-acetic acid from L-tryptophan and their growth rate were studied. Differences in the levels of IAA synthesis and biomass production among the 8 mycorrhizal fungi were observed. A positive correlation was recorded between IAA level and mycelial growth. The synthesis of IAA and mycelial biomass were maximum on 30th day after incubation. Pisolithus tinctorius and Laccaria laccata exhibited higher amounts of IAA production than other fungi, whereas Amanita muscaria and Rhizopogon luteolus showed least quantity of IAA.

A child reading: some educational and psychological considerations

This paper notes that reading is a significant and complex task; effective reading skills are crucial for educational success and psychological integration; Data from the Remedial Reading Clinic, Institute of Education and data from a reading survey amongst 1,157 Primary Six pupils from 18 schools is with the two aspects noted above as a framework. The work of Bruno Bettelheim, a noted child psychiatrist is given special attention.