Artificial Intelligence: A Next-Level Approach in Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which caused coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in late 2019 in China created a devastating economical loss and loss of human lives. To date, 11 variants have been identified with minimum to maximum severity of infection and surges in cases. Bacterial co-infection/secondary infection is identified during viral respiratory infection, which is a vital reason for morbidity and mortality. The occurrence of secondary infections is an additional burden to the healthcare system; therefore, the quick diagnosis of both COVID-19 and secondary infections will reduce work pressure on healthcare workers. Therefore, well-established support from Artificial Intelligence (AI) could reduce the stress in healthcare and even help in creating novel products to defend against the coronavirus. AI is one of the rapidly growing fields with numerous applications for the healthcare sector. The present review aims to access the recent literature on the role of AI and how its subfamily machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are used to curb the pandemic’s effects. We discuss the role of AI in COVID-19 infections, the detection of secondary infections, technology-assisted protection from COVID-19, global laws and regulations on AI, and the impact of the pandemic on public life.

Evaluation of Antiasthmatic Activity of Eraippu Noi Chooranam (ENC)

Background: Every human race has its own traditional system of medicines. Siddha system of medicine is unique and ancient of its kind originating from Tamil Nadu in India. Siddha system could be considered as the crown of all the traditional arts of the ancient Tamil. Eraippu Noi Chooranam is a modified Siddha Poly Herbal formulation indicated for respiratory diseases in the text Siddha research pharmacopoeia. The indicated traditional claim enforced to evaluate its efficacy in the management of Bronchial asthma. Aim and Objective: The aim of study is to evaluate the anti asthmatic activity of ENC in Bronchial asthma. Materials and Methods: In the present study, aqueous extract of ENC was evaluated for its anti asthmatic activity using histamine induced bronchospasm, in guinea pig at different dose levels. Results: The test drug ENC at all the three doses of 100,200,300 mg/kg p.o significantly (p<0.01) increased  the latent period of convulsions following exposure to histamine aerosol when compared to control. The percentage of protection by the standard drug was 82.8 % whereas the protection offered by ENC at 100,200 and 300 mg/kg was found to be 61.5%, 71.1% and 80% respectively. High dose of ENC offered highest protection which was comparable to standard. Conclusion: It can be concluded that aqueous extract of ENC may be used in the management of asthma.

In vitro Antioxidant Activity of Parangipattai Rasayanam (PRM)- A Siddha Polyherbal Formulation

Background: The Siddha system of medicine uses a interesting combination of herbs, minerals and metals to promote good health and longevity. Parangipattai Rasayanam is a polyherbal formulation mentioned in the Siddha literature and is indicated for Soolai (Pain), Viranam (Various ulcers), Kiranthi (Venereal diseases), Kuttam (Skin diseases), Gunmam (peptic ulcer) and Moorchai. Aim: Evaluate the in-vitro antioxidant activity of Parangipattai Rasayanam. Materials & Methods: The antioxidant activity of Parangipattai Rasayanam was evaluated by using various assays such as DPPH (2, 2-Diphenyl 1-2 picrylhydrazyl) Assay, Nitric Oxide Radical Scavenging Assay, ABTS Assay, Hydrogen Peroxide Radical Scavenging Assay. Result: Parangipattai Rasayanam has promising anti-oxidant activity in the estimated assays.

Weighted butterfly optimization algorithm with intuitionistic fuzzy gaussian function based adaptive-neuro fuzzy inference system for covid-19 prediction

Covid-19 cases are increasing each day, however none of the countries successfully came up with a proper approved vaccine. Studies suggest that the virus enters the body causing a respiratory infection post contact with a disease. Measures like screening and early diagnosis contribute towards the management of COVID- 19 thereby reducing the load of health care systems. Recent studies have provided promising methods that will be applicable for the current pandemic situation. The previous system designed a various Machine Learning (ML) algorithms such as Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), XGBoost, Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for predicting COVID-19 disease with symptoms. However, it does not produce satisfactory results in terms of true positive rate. And also, better optimization methods are required to enhance the precision rate with minimum execution time. To solve this problem the proposed system designed a Weighted Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (WBOA) with Intuitionistic fuzzy Gaussian function based Adaptive-Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (IFGF-ANFIS) classifier for predicting the magnitude of COVID- 19 disease. The principle aim of this method is to design an algorithm that could predict and assess the COVID-19 parameters. Initially, the dataset regarding COVID-19 is taken as an input and preprocessed. The parameters included are age, sex, history of fever, travel history, presence of cough and lung infection. Then the optimal features are selected by using Weighted Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (WBOA) to improve the classification accuracy. Based on the selected features, an Intuitionistic fuzzy Gaussian function based Adaptive-Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (IFGF-ANFIS) classifier is utilized for classifying the people having infection possibility. The studies conducted on this proposed system indicates that it is capable of producing better results than the other systems especially in terms of accuracy, precision, recall and f-measure.

Genetic predisposition and prediction protocol for epithelial neoplasms in disease-free individuals: A systematic review

Background

Epithelial neoplasm is an important global health-care problem, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential for increased life survival. Prediction of occurrence of malignancy in a disease-free individual by any means will be a great breakthrough for healthy living.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives were to predict the genetic predisposition and propose a prediction protocol for epithelial malignancy of various systems in our body, in a disease-free individual.

Methods

We have searched databases both manually and electronically, published in English language in Cochrane group, Google search, MEDLINE and PubMed from 2000 to 2019. We have included all the published, peer-reviewed, narrative reviews; randomized controlled trials; case-control studies; and cohort studies and excluded the abstract-only articles and duplicates. Specific words such as "etiological factors," "pathology and mutations," "signs and symptoms," "genetics and IHC marker," and "treatment outcome" were used for the search. A total of 1032 citations were taken, and only 141 citations met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed.

Results

After analyzing various articles, the etiological factors, clinical signs and symptoms, genes and the pathology involved and the commonly used blood and tissue markers were analyzed. A basic investigation strategy using immunohistochemistry markers was established.

Conclusion

The set of proposed biomarkers should be studied in future to predict genetic predisposition in disease-free individuals.

Zosteriform Cutaneous Metastases with Primary Endometrial Carcinoma

Cutaneous metastases from endometrial adenocarcinoma are ominous and are seldom seen, though metastases occurring at the local sites, such as pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes, vagina, peritoneum, and lungs are well recognized. The zosteriform pattern of lesions is even more rare. Here, we describe an interesting case of a 60-year-old female with carcinoma endometrium, presenting with zosteriform cutaneous metastasis.

Epidemiological pattern of Malassezia, its phenotypic identification and antifungal susceptibility profile to azoles by broth microdilution method

Background

Malassezia though known for its cutaneous infections can potentially cause invasion. The skin infections caused by Malassezia have poor patient compliance due to its chronicity and recurrent nature of the disease. There is also a lack of standardised antifungal susceptibility profile for Malassezia due to its complex growth requirement.

Objective

This study was performed to understand the epidemiological pattern of disease and to study the antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) profile so as to choose the appropriate drug/drugs to treat the infections caused by Malassezia.

Materials and Methods

Samples were collected and processed, species were identified by conventional method and AFST was done by broth microdilution method.

Results

The epidemiological pattern showed adolescent females commonly affected in torso. The most common lesion was pityriasis versicolor. The systemic antifungal of choice was itraconazole with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.125-1 μg/ml. The best topical drug with the lowest MIC value was clotrimazole 0.03-0.5 μg/ml.

Conclusion

AFST is important as it will help the dermatologist to choose the appropriate antifungal agents for the patient and thereby reduce the chronicity of the disease with good patient compliance.

Assessment of histological changes in antemortem gingival tissues fixed at various time intervals: A method of estimation of postmortem interval

Introduction:

Conventional methods to estimate the time of death are adequate, but a histological method is yet unavailable to assess postmortem interval (PMI). The autolytic changes that occur in an unfixed antemortem gingival tissue which reflects histologically at an early stage are similar to changes that occur in postmortem tissue. These histological changes can be used and applied in a postmortem tissue as a method to assess PMI.

Aims:

The aim of the study is to assess the histological changes in a gingival tissue left unfixed for various time intervals and to correlate the findings with duration.

Materials and Methods:

Sixty gingival tissues obtained from patients following therapeutic extractions, impactions, gingivectomy and crown lengthening procedures were used. Each tissue obtained was divided into two pieces and labeled as “A”, the control group and “ B” the study group. Tissues labeled “A” were fixed in 10% formalin immediately and tissues labeled“B” were placed in closed containers and fixed after 15, 30, 45 min, 1, 2, and 4 h time interval. Of the sixty tissues in the study group “ B”, ten tissues were used for each time interval under investigation. All the fixed tissues were processed, stained, assessed, and analyzed statistically using Pearson correlation and regression analysis.

Results:

Histological changes appear at 15 min in an unfixed antemortem tissue. At 2 h interval, all layers with few cells in basal cell layer are involved. At 4 h interval, loss of stratification and complete homogenization of cells in the superficial layers with prominent changes in basal layer is evident. There was a positive correlation (<1.0) between the time interval and the appearance of the histological changes.

Conclusion:

Histological changes such as complete homogenization of cells in superficial layers and loss of epithelial architecture at 4 h in unfixed antemortem tissue may be used as a criterion to estimate PMI, after further studies on postmortem tissues.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by a combination of lamotrigine and valproic acid

Lamotrigine and valproic acid are well-tolerated anticonvulsants, but frequently associated with severe cutaneous reactions, such as the Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis, when used in combination. We report a case of SJS likely induced by the use of a lamotrigine and valproic acid regimen and as a dental surgeon it is important to identify such lesion and report to pharmacovigilance.

Development and mapping of simple sequence repeat markers for pearl millet from data mining of expressed sequence tags

BACKGROUND

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a staple food and fodder crop of marginal agricultural lands of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It is also a summer forage crop in the southern USA, Australia and Latin America, and is the preferred mulch in Brazilian no-till soybean production systems. Use of molecular marker technology for pearl millet genetic improvement has been limited. Progress is hampered by insufficient numbers of PCR-compatible co-dominant markers that can be used readily in applied breeding programmes. Therefore, we sought to develop additional SSR markers for the pearl millet research community.

RESULTS

A set of new pearl millet SSR markers were developed using available sequence information from 3520 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). After clustering, unigene sequences (2175 singlets and 317 contigs) were searched for the presence of SSRs. We detected 164 sequences containing SSRs (at least 14 bases in length), with a density of one per 1.75 kb of EST sequence. Di-nucleotide repeats were the most abundant followed by tri-nucleotide repeats. Ninety primer pairs were designed and tested for their ability to detect polymorphism across a panel of 11 pairs of pearl millet mapping population parental lines. Clear amplification products were obtained for 58 primer pairs. Of these, 15 were monomorphic across the panel. A subset of 21 polymorphic EST-SSRs and 6 recently developed genomic SSR markers were mapped using existing mapping populations. Linkage map positions of these EST-SSR were compared by homology search with mapped rice genomic sequences on the basis of pearl millet-rice synteny. Most new EST-SSR markers mapped to distal regions of linkage groups, often to previous gaps in these linkage maps. These new EST-SSRs are now are used by ICRISAT in pearl millet diversity assessment and marker-aided breeding programs.

CONCLUSION

This study has demonstrated the potential of EST-derived SSR primer pairs in pearl millet. As reported for other crops, EST-derived SSRs provide a cost-saving marker development option in pearl millet. Resources developed in this study have added a sizeable number of useful SSRs to the existing repertoire of circa 100 genomic SSRs that were previously available to pearl millet researchers.

Laboratory Information Management Software for genotyping workflows: applications in high throughput crop genotyping

Background

With the advances in DNA sequencer-based technologies, it has become possible to automate several steps of the genotyping process leading to increased throughput. To efficiently handle the large amounts of genotypic data generated and help with quality control, there is a strong need for a software system that can help with the tracking of samples and capture and management of data at different steps of the process. Such systems, while serving to manage the workflow precisely, also encourage good laboratory practice by standardizing protocols, recording and annotating data from every step of the workflow.

Results

A laboratory information management system (LIMS) has been designed and implemented at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) that meets the requirements of a moderately high throughput molecular genotyping facility. The application is designed as modules and is simple to learn and use. The application leads the user through each step of the process from starting an experiment to the storing of output data from the genotype detection step with auto-binning of alleles; thus ensuring that every DNA sample is handled in an identical manner and all the necessary data are captured. The application keeps track of DNA samples and generated data. Data entry into the system is through the use of forms for file uploads. The LIMS provides functions to trace back to the electrophoresis gel files or sample source for any genotypic data and for repeating experiments. The LIMS is being presently used for the capture of high throughput SSR (simple-sequence repeat) genotyping data from the legume (chickpea, groundnut and pigeonpea) and cereal (sorghum and millets) crops of importance in the semi-arid tropics.

Conclusion

A laboratory information management system is available that has been found useful in the management of microsatellite genotype data in a moderately high throughput genotyping laboratory. The application with source code is freely available for academic users and can be downloaded from .

QTL mapping of stay-green in two sorghum recombinant inbred populations

The stay-green trait is a reported component of tolerance to terminal drought stress in sorghum. To map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for stay-green, two sorghum recombinant inbred populations (RIPs) of 226 F(3:5) lines each were developed from crosses (1) IS9830 x E36-1 and (2) N13 x E36-1. The common parental line, E36-1 of Ethiopian origin, was the stay-green trait source. The genetic map of RIP 1 had a total length of 1,291 cM, with 128 markers (AFLPs, RFLPs, SSRs and RAPDs) distributed over ten linkage groups. The map of RIP 2 spanned 1,438 cM and contained 146 markers in 12 linkage groups. The two RIPs were evaluated during post-rainy seasons at Patancheru, India, in 1999/2000 (RIP 2) and 2000/2001 (RIP 1). The measures of stay-green mapped were the green leaf area percentages at 15, 30 and 45 days after flowering (% GL15, % GL30 and % GL45, respectively). Estimated repeatabilities for % GL15, % GL30 and % GL45 amounted to 0.89, 0.81 and 0.78 in RIP 1, and 0.91, 0.88 and 0.85 in RIP 2, respectively. The number of QTLs for the three traits detected by composite interval mapping ranged from 5 to 8, explaining 31% to 42% of the genetic variance. In both RIPs, both parent lines contributed stay-green alleles. Across the three measures of the stay-green trait, three QTLs on linkage groups A, E and G were common to both RIPs, with the stay-green alleles originating from E36-1. These QTLs were therefore consistent across the tested genetic backgrounds and years. After QTL validation across sites and verification of the general benefit of the stay-green trait for grain yield performance and stability in the target areas, the corresponding chromosomal regions could be candidates for marker-assisted transfer of stay-green into elite materials.

Propagation characteristics of planar segmented waveguides with parabolic index segments

We have analyzed the linear propagation characteristics of planar periodic segmented waveguides with infinitely extended parabolic refractive-index segments in the transverse direction, using the matrix formulation of Gaussian beam propagation. Modal propagation and the variation of effective index as a function of duty cycle and the period of segmentation have been studied. Conditions for the existence of guided modes in such a segmented waveguide are presented.

Assessment of drought resistance in pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke). II. Estimation of genotype response to stress

The finding that the more than 50% of the variation in grain yield of pearl millet breeding lines in two different drought stress treatments could be attributed to variation in yield potential and time of flowering was used to develop a drought-response index (DRI) based on the residual variation in grain yield, adjusted for experimental error. DRI was positively correlated to measured yield in the drought treatments, and independent of both yield potential and time to flowering. DRI in both midseason and terminal stress treatments was unrelated to yield component structure in the irrigated control treatment, indicating that selection for plant type under non-stressed conditions will not influence drought response. DRI was correlated to both grain number per panicle, and grain yield per panicle in both stress treatments, suggesting differential ability to maintain normal grain number, and/or that grain yield per panicle was an important factor in response to stress. Maintenance of panicle number did not seem to be important for maintenance of yield under drought stress. The correlation of DRI and individual panicle yield was of sufficient magnitude for the latter to serve as a selection index in terminal stress. The use of a DRI as a component of breeding for better adaptation to stress is discussed.

Assessment of drought resistance in pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke]. I. Factors affecting yields under stress

Yield trials of advanced lines of pearl millet were grown under midseason (panicle initiation to flowering) and terminal (flowering to maturity) drought stresses in the dry seasons of 1981, 1982, and 1983. Grain yield and its components were severely reduced by the terminal stress, but were little affected by the midseason drought, as there was compensation by later tillers for yield lost on the earlier shoots. The major factor determining grain yield of a genotype in both stress treatments was its time to flowering. Because of this, yield-yield component relationships under stress were a result of yield component-phenology relationships. Yield potential (measured in an irrigated treatment in the same field) was generally positively related to yield under stress, but accounted for a much smaller fraction of yield variation than time to flowering. These two factors together accounted for more than 50% of the total variation in grain yield under stress, suggesting that genotype drought response (drought resistance/susceptibility) was a secondary rather than a primary factor in differences in yield under stress among the genotypes tested.