Wound healing activities of PVA-urea composites from Ormocarpum cochinchinense

The aim of this work is to prepare ternary blended polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-urea hydrogels containing Ormocarpum cochinchinense, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and antibiotic cephalexin by freezing-thawing method in order to assess the wound healing qualities. In addition to being a synthetic polymer, PVA is a recyclable and biocompatible artificial polymer blend that has attracted a lot of interest in biological applications. The freezing-thawing process with PVA-urea blend is used to make hydrogel film. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and swelling investigations were carried out for the composite membranes. Biological studies involving antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxicity and wound healing activities were also carried out for the composite membranes. The composite membrane developed has a lot of potential for wound dressing and other applications.

Fedratinib: A Review of Its Pharmacology and Clinical Use

Fedratinib (INREBIC®) is a JAK2-selective inhibitor that has been developed as an oral treatment for myelofibrosis. It was approved for the first time in the United States in August 2019 to treat adult patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk primary or secondary (post-polycythaemia vera or post-essential thrombocythemia) myelofibrosis. Fedratinib is an anilinopyrimidine derivative and is metabolized by CYP3A4, CYP2C19 and flavin-containing monooxygenase-3. Fedratinib is mainly excreted in faeces, and the effective half-life is 41 hours. The recommended dosage is 400 mg once daily (with or without food. The dosage should be reduced to 200 mg once daily in patients receiving CYP3A4 inhibitors and in patients with severe renal impairment. Fedratinib's recent approval adds to the few therapeutic option choices available to individuals with MF. The most common adverse events were mild gastrointestinal toxicities. Fedratinib comes with a boxed warning about the risk of serious and potentially deadly encephalopathies, such as Wernicke's.

A Review on Antiviral Activity of Favipiravir

The emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic endangers patients and physicians all over the world. The potency of COVID-19 antiviral drugs is still a matter of debate. The growing understanding of COVID-19 virology and clinical manifestations is resulting in a larger pool of potential pharmacological targets. Favipiravir is included in the treatment regimen of many countries, including some regions of India, that have recently updated their treatment standards and is expected to be an effective treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection, as it can be used to treat many different types of RNA virus infections such as Ebola, influenza, and the foot-and-mouth disease virus can be treated with this new nucleoside analogue. This review describes the status, mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral effect of Favipiravir.

A study to evaluate the efficacy of dexamethasone as an adjuvant in ultrasound-guided bilateral superficial cervical plexus block using 0.25% bupivacaine in patients undergoing thyroid surgeries under entropy-guided general anesthesia

Context:

Ultrasound-guided bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (BSCPB) is a technique described for thyroid surgeries for postoperative analgesia as the surgery can cause severe pain and discomfort. Perineural dexamethasone is known to prolong analgesic duration and reduce postoperative nausea/vomiting.

Aims:

To assess the efficacy of dexamethasone as an adjuvant to BSCPB with 0.25% bupivacaine on isoflurane consumption, intraoperative hemodynamic parameters, and postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing thyroid surgeries under general anesthesia.

Settings and Design:

This was a randomized control trial.

Subjects and Methods:

Eighty patients were randomized to two equal groups using random number table into Group A with BSCPB receiving 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine and Group B with BSCPB receiving 19 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine + injection dexamethasone 4 mg in the preinduction period. Hemodynamic parameters, isoflurane consumption, postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score, and antiemetic effect over 24 h were compared between two groups.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Microsoft excel data sheet, Chi-square test, and independent t-test were used for statistical analysis.

Results:

The intraoperative hemodynamic parameters were comparable between the two groups. There was a significant difference in mean VAS score between two groups from 6 h to 20 h postoperatively. The time of rescue analgesic in Group A was 7.09 ± 1.04 min and Group was 13.19 ± 1.46 min with P < 0.0001. In Group A, 40% had nausea and 35% had vomiting, and in Group B, 7.5% had nausea and 5% had vomiting.

Conclusions:

Preinduction ultrasound-guided BSCPB with bupivacaine and dexamethasone provides longer duration of postoperative analgesia and lesser nausea and vomiting compared to bupivacaine alone.

Stability Indicating Method Development and Validation of Cenobamate in Bulk and Dosage form by Liquid Chromatography

A simple, Precise, Accurate method was developed for the estimation of Cenobamate   by RP-HPLC technique. Chromatographic conditions used are stationary phase symmetry C18 (150 mm* 4.6 mm 5 µm), mobile phase Acetonitrile: 0.01NKH2PO4in the ratio of 55:45 and flow rate was maintained at 1.0ml/min, detection wave length was 272.0 nm; column temperature was set to 30oC. Retention time was found to be 2.908 min. System suitability parameters were studied by injecting the standard six times and results were well under the acceptance criteria. Linearity study was carried out between 25% to150 % levels, R2 value was found to be as 0.999.Precision was found to be 0.5 for repeatability and 0.8 for intermediate precision. LOD and LOQ are 0.01µg/ml and 0.03µg/ml respectively. By using above method assay of marketed formulation was carried out 100.32% was present. Degradation studies of Cenobamate were done, in all conditions purity threshold was more than purity angle and within the acceptable range.

Pharmacological and Toxicological Effects of Phytocannabinoids and Recreational Synthetic Cannabinoids: Increasing Risk of Public Health

Synthetic Cannabinoids (CBs) are a novel class of psychoactive substances that have rapidly evolved around the world with the addition of diverse structural modifications to existing molecules which produce new structural analogues that can be associated with serious adverse health effects. Synthetic CBs represent the largest class of drugs detected by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) with a total of 207 substances identified from 2008 to October 2020, and 9 compounds being reported for the first time. Synthetic CBs are sprayed on natural harmless herbs with an aim to mimic the euphoric effect of Cannabis. They are sold under different brand names including Black mamba, spice, K2, Bombay Blue, etc. As these synthetic CBs act as full agonists at the CB receptors, they are much more potent than natural Cannabis and have been increasingly associated with acute to chronic intoxications and death. Due to their potential toxicity and abuse, the US government has listed some synthetic CBs under schedule 1 classification. The present review aims to provide a focused overview of the literature concerning the development of synthetic CBs, their abuse, and potential toxicological effects including renal toxicity, respiratory depression, hyperemesis syndrome, cardiovascular effects, and a range of effects on brain function.

An updated Review on Therapeutic Potential of Entrectinib as a Promising TrK, ROS 1, and ALK Inhibitor in Solid Tumors and Lung Cancer

Entrectinib is a selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinases , tropomyosin receptor kinases that targets oncogenic rearrangements in Neurotropic Tyrosine Receptor kinase, c-ros oncogene 1 and Anaplastic lymphoma kinase used for the treatment of various solid tumors. Entrectinib gained its first worldwide approval in Japan in June 2019 for the treatment of NTRK fusion-positive, advanced or recurring solid tumours in adults and children. In august 15, 2019 drug got FDA approval for the treatment of solid tumors in adult and children aged 12 and above. This article summarizes current status of Entrectinib from ongoing clinical trails and ideal place for drug in therapy.

Intelligent energy-aware multiple quality of service restraints based secured optimal routing protocol with dynamic mobility estimation for wireless sensor networks

This research work confronts a sender-based responsive and novel protocol named “Intelligent Energy-Aware Multiple restraints Secured Optimal Routing (IEAMSOR)” protocol for WSNs. In order to deal with the various emerges like packet routing, node mobility, and energy optimization as well as energy balancing in WSNs. The proposed protocol accounts for the basic QoS restraints such as Delay, HopCount and Energy Level for each link of ‘n’ number of routes and predicts the best optimal path among these in-between sender and receiver nodes throughout the route discovery process. It also assures the energy level of each node existing on the route during the route reply process. It incorporates the modified mobility prediction approach in order to estimate the stableness of link failure time for every link of each path during the route reply process. The main objective of this work to achieve the energy balancing among the nodes is achieved through fuzzy rules based node’s trust classification is introduced and based on this energy weight of each node is adjusted according to their trustworthiness. It accomplishes the path sustainment process when the link among the two nodes goes down. Moreover, the proposed model has been given careful attention for selecting additional substitute routes throughout link failure. The experimental results have seemed that the IEAMSOR protocol performs better than the existing traditional protocols.

Impact of chronic hyperglycemia on Small Heat Shock Proteins in diabetic rat brain

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are a family of proteins. Some are induced in response to multiple stimuli and others are constitutively expressed. They are involved in fundamental cellular processes, including protein folding, apoptosis, and maintenance of cytoskeletal integrity. Hyperglycemia created during diabetes leads to neuronal derangements in the brain. In this study, we investigated the impact of chronic hyperglycemia on the expression of sHsps and heat shock transcription factors (HSFs), solubility and aggregation of sHsps and amyloidogenic proteins, and their role in neuronal apoptosis in a diabetic rat model. Diabetes was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats with streptozotocin and hyperglycemia was maintained for 16 weeks. Expressions of sHsps and HSFs were analyzed by qRT-PCR and immunoblotting in the cerebral cortex. Solubility of sHsps and amyloidogenic proteins, including α-synuclein and Tau, was analyzed by the detergent soluble assay. Neuronal cell death was analyzed by TUNEL staining and apoptotic markers. The interaction of sHsps with amyloidogenic proteins and Bax was assessed using co-immunoprecipitation. Hyperglycemia decreased Hsp27 and HSF1, and increased αBC, Hsp22, and HSF4 levels at transcript and protein levels. Diabetes induced the aggregation of αBC, Hsp22, α-synuclein, and pTau, as their levels were higher in the insoluble fraction. Additionally, diabetes impaired the interaction of αBC with α-synuclein and pTau. Furthermore, diabetes reduced the interaction of αBC with Bax, which may possibly contribute to neuronal apoptosis. Together, these results indicate that chronic hyperglycemia induces differential responses of sHsps by altering their expression, solubility, interaction, and roles in apoptosis.

The Glucose Metabolic Pathway as A Potential Target for Therapeutics: Crucial Role of Glycosylation in Alzheimer's Disease

Glucose uptake in the brain decreases because of normal aging but this decline is accelerated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. In fact, positron emission tomography (PET) studies have shown that metabolic reductions in AD patients occur decades before the onset of symptoms, suggesting that metabolic deficits may be an upstream event in at least some late-onset cases. A decrease in availability of glucose content induces a considerable impairment/downregulation of glycosylation, which is an important post-translational modification. Glycosylation is an important and highly regulated mechanism of secondary protein processing within cells and it plays a crucial role in modulating stability of proteins, as carbohydrates are important in achieving the proper three-dimensional conformation of glycoproteins. Moreover, glycosylation acts as a metabolic sensor that links glucose metabolism to normal neuronal functioning. All the proteins involved in β-amyloid (Aβ) precursor protein metabolism have been identified as candidates of glycosylation highlighting the possibility that Aβ metabolism could be regulated by their glycosylation. Within this framework, the present review aims to summarize the current understanding on the role of glycosylation in the etiopathology of AD, emphasizing the idea that glucose metabolic pathway may represent an alternative therapeutic option for targeting AD. From this perspective, the pharmacological modulation of glycosylation levels may represent a ‘sweet approach’ to treat AD targeting new mechanisms independent of the amyloid cascade and with comparable impacts in familial and sporadic AD.

The Dual Role of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Alzheimer's Disease: From Pathophysiology to Pharmacotherapy

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related dementia and neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by Aβ and tau protein deposition impairing learning, memory and suppressing synaptic plasticity of neurons. Increasing evidence suggests that there is a link between the glucose and glutamate alterations with age that down-regulates glucose utilization reducing glutamate levels in AD patients. Deviations in brain energy metabolism reinforce the development of AD by hampering glutamate levels in the brain. Glutamate is a nonessential amino acid and the major excitatory neurotransmitter synthesized from glucose. Alterations in cerebral glucose and glutamate levels precede the deposition of Aβ plaques. In the brain, over 40% of neuronal synapses are glutamatergic and disturbances in glutamatergic function have been implicated in pathophysiology of AD. Nevertheless, targeting the glutamatergic system seems to be a promising strategy to develop novel, improved therapeutics for AD. Here, we review data supporting the involvement of the glutamatergic system in AD pathophysiology as well as the efficacy of glutamatergic agents in this neurodegenerative disorder. We also discuss exciting new prospects for the development of improved therapeutics for this devastating disorder.

Exploration of activation energy and binary chemical reaction effects on nano Casson fluid flow with thermal and exponential space-based heat source

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of binary chemical reaction and activation energy on nano Casson liquid flow past a stretched plate with non-linear radiative heat, and also, the effect of a novel exponential space-dependent heat source (ESHS) aspect along with thermal-dependent heat source (THS) effect in the analysis of heat transfer in nanofluid. Comparative analysis is carried out between the flows with linear radiative heat process and non-linear radiative heat process.

Design/methodology/approach

A similarity transformation technique is utilised to access the ODEs from the governed PDEs. The manipulation of subsequent non-linear equations is carried out by a well-known numerical approach called Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg scheme. Obtained solutions are briefly discussed with the help of graphical and tabular illustrations.

Findings

The effects of various physical parameters on temperature, nanoparticles volume fraction and velocity fields within the boundary layer are discussed for two different flow situations, namely, flow with linear radiative heat and flow with non-linear radiative heat. It is found that an irregular heat source/sink (ESHS and THS) and non-linear solar radiation play a vital role in the enhancement of the temperature distributions.

Originality/value

The problem is relatively original to study the effects of activation energy and binary chemical reaction along with a novel exponential space-based heat source on laminar boundary flow past a stretched plate in the presence of non-linear Rosseland radiative heat.

Efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) on developmental stages of house fly, Musca domestica

The housefly, Musca domestica is a major domestic, medical and veterinary pest. The management of these flies reliance on insecticide, causes environmental constraints, insecticide resistance and residues in the meat, skin. Therefore one of the eco-friendly alternate methods is by using biological agents such as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN). In the present study evaluated the survival of EPN species Steinernema feltiae, Heterorhabditis indica, S. carpocapsae, S. glaseri and S. abbasi in poultry manure and also their efficacy against different developmental stages of house fly. After exposing to poultry manure, S. feltiae showed more survival as followed by H. indica, S. carpocapsae, S. glaseri and S. abbasi in all exposition period. When the exposition period extended to 96 h, all nematode species survivability was drastically reduced. After exposing these nematodes to poultry manure at 24 h their virulence capacity against wax moth, Galleria mellonella showed all the nematode species were able cause 100% mortality. However their progeny production was significantly reduced. Fly eggs and pupae were refractory to these nematode infection. Petri dish without artificial diet assay showed that, second and 3rd-instar larvae were highly susceptible to EPNs as compared to larvae provided with artificial diet. H. indica showed high virulence capacity compared to other nematodes tested. Poultry manure assay revealed that, H. indica and S. carpocapsae caused minimal mortality where as S. feltiae, S. glaseri and S. abbasi did not cause any mortality. This may be because of poor survival and limited movement of nematodes in poultry manure which may be due to ammonia, other toxic substances in poultry manure. The decrease in larval mortality in manure suggests that biocontrol of housefly by using EPNs is unlikely.

Detection of Alzheimer disease in MR images using structure tensor

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Therefore, early detection and evaluation of prognosis of AD is an important issue in contemporary brain research. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides valuable diagnostic information about AD. In this work, brain tissue is extracted using phase-based level set method. Structure tensor analysis is used to visualize and quantify structural features of the brain from MRI. Further, quantitative measures are derived to classify different stages of AD. Normal and AD subjects were classified up to an accuracy of 88% using these features. It is observed that structural changes in brain can be characterized using this technique and therefore can be helpful in tracking the progression of AD and aid in classification between normal and AD subjects.

The Psychosocial Impact of Acne Vulgaris

Background:

Acne vulgaris causes erythematous papulopustular lesions in active stage and often leave behind residual scarring and pigmentation. Its onset in adolescence may add to the emotional and psychological challenges experienced during this period.

Aims:

To assess the impact of acne on the various psychosocial domains of daily life.

Materials and Methods:

This was a prospective, cross-sectional study done in the dermatology out-patient department of a tertiary care hospital from January to March 2015. A total of 100 consecutive, newly diagnosed patients of acne vulgaris, aged 15 years and above were included in this study. The relationship between acne vulgaris and its sequelae was analyzed with ten different domains of daily life by using dermatology life quality index (DLQI) questionnaire.

Results:

Females (56%), 15–20 year olds (61%), facial lesions (60%), and Grade II acne (70%) were most common. Acne scars were noted in 75% patients, whereas 79% cases had post-acne hyperpigmentation. Thirty-seven percent patients had DLQI scores of (6–10) interpreted as moderate effect on patient's life. Statistically significant correlation (P < 0.05) found were as follows: Physical symptoms with grade of acne; embarrassment with site and grade of acne; daily activities with grade of acne and post-acne pigmentation; choice of clothes with site of acne; social activities with gender, site and grade of acne; effect on work/study with grade of acne; interpersonal problems with site and post-acne pigmentation; sexual difficulties with grade of acne.

Limitation:

It was a hospital-based study with small sample size.

Conclusion:

Significant impact of acne and its sequelae was noted on emotions, daily activities, social activities, study/work, and interpersonal relationships. Assurance and counseling along with early treatment of acne vulgaris is important to reduce disease-related psychosocial sequelae and increase the efficacy of treatment.

Prevalence of different species of Culicoides in Bangalore rural and urban districts of South India

A study was conducted to observe the prevalence of Culicoides a biting midge, important pest and prime vector for various viruses, protozoa and filarid worms. In the vicinity of 11 different farms of cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats in Bangalore rural and urban districts the flies were collected by using UV traps (Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. ARC. LNR) connected with suction fan for the period of 1 year (2012-2013). Around 83,629 Culicoides were collected of which 77,906 (93.16 %) were female and 5,723 (6.84 %) were males and 40,120 (47.97 %) of C. imicola, 39,366 (47.07 %) C. oxystoma, 2,504 (2.99 %) C. actoni, 1,145 (1.37 %) C. peregrinus, 145 (0.17 %) C. huffi, 120 (0.16 %) C. innoxius, 90 (0.11 %) C. palpifer, 67 (0.08 %) C. anopheles, 37 (0.04 %) C. circumscriptus and 25 (0.03 %) were C. arakawae. It was observed that C. imicola and C. oxystoma were the most predominant species prevalent in Bangalore rural and urban districts of Karnataka.

A verruciform xanthoma of the lower lip and review of the differential diagnosis

A careful examination of lips is often neglected by the members of the medical and dental professions; yet the lips reveal a heterogeneous group of lesions ranging from congenital abnormalities to benign and malignant neoplasms. Verruciform Xanthoma (VX) is an uncommon benign inflammatory mucocutaneous condition that occurs in the oral cavity which was first described by Shafer in 1971. It is often associated with pre-existing epithelial and/or inflammatory disorder and is characterized histopathologically by papillary epithelial hyperplasia and the presence of foamy macrophages in connective tissue papillae. We report a case with VX which presented as a well-defined, soft, painless swelling on the lower lip having different clinical features.

Sonography in the diagnosis and assessment of dengue Fever

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the following study is to determine the use of ultrasound as an important adjunct to clinical and laboratory profile in diagnosing dengue fever and in predicting the severity of the disease by correlating imaging features with platelet count. The variation in sonographic features seen in patients from different age groups was also studied.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective study. 96 patients who were serologically diagnosed as having dengue fever between April and August 2012 were referred for ultrasound scanning of the abdomen and thorax and the imaging findings were analyzed.

RESULTS

Out of 96 sero-positive dengue cases, 64 (66.7%) patients showed edematous gallbladder (GB) wall thickening, 62 (64.5%) patients showed ascites, 48 (50%) patients had pleural effusion, 17 (17.7%) patients had hepatomegaly, 16 (16.7%) patients had splenomegaly and in 17 (17.7%) patients ultrasound findings were normal. Edematous GB wall thickening, ascites and pleural effusion were the most common combination of findings in all age groups. Edematous GB wall thickening was seen in 97.8% of patients with platelet count of less than 40,000 along with ascites (86.9%) and pleural effusion (58.6%). In patients with platelet count between 40,000 and 80,000 ascites was more common than edematous GB wall thickening. Significantly no abnormal sonographic finding was detected in patient with platelet count more than 150,000.

CONCLUSION

Sonographic features of thickened GB wall, pleural effusion (bilateral or right side), ascites, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly should strongly favor the diagnosis of dengue fever in patients presenting with fever and associated symptoms, particularly during an epidemic. The degree of thrombocytopenia showed a significant direct relationship to abnormal ultrasound features.

Various methods available for detection of apoptotic cells--a review

Apoptosis is a process of programmed cell death occurring in multicellular organisms in whom development, maintenance and sculpturing organs and tissues. Taken together, apoptotic processes are of widespread biological significance; being involved in e.g. development, differentiation, proliferation/homoeostasis, regulation and function of the immune system and in the removal of defected harmful cells. Dys regulation of apoptosis can play a primary or secondary role leading to cancer whereas excessive apoptosis contributes to neuro degeneration, autoimmunity, AIDS, and ischemia. Gaining insight into the techniques for detecting apoptotic cells will allow the development of more effective, higher specific and therefore better-tolerable therapeutic approaches. The goal of this review article is to provide a general overview of current knowledge, on the various technical approaches for detecting apoptotic cells.

Segmentation of ct liver images using phase based level set method - biomed 2013

Segmentation of Liver from Abdominal CT images has received much importance due to its complexity, as the intensity of the liver is quite similar to those of other organs surrounding it. Hence, intensity based edge operators fail to segment the liver accurately. In this work, an attempt has been made to segment liver from abdominal CT images using phase-based level set method. CT images used in this work were acquired from open source online database MIDAS and nearby hospitals. These images were subjected to phase-based distance regularized level set segmentation. A distance regularization term proposed by Chumming Li et al. was used in the energy function of level set method, to maintain stability of the evolving contour. This energy function was minimized to obtain the final contour. The phase congruency measure proposed by Kovesi was used as an edge detector for the evolution of level set function. The segmentation results were compared with the ground truth using similarity measures. It was observed that the implemented technique resulted in better similarity index and they were close to the ideal values. Leakage of contour was avoided as phase information lead to robust convergence at edges. Edges and lines were found to be well distinguished using phase congruency information. As CT images are found to be helpful in detection and characterization of abnormalities in liver like hepatoma, cysts and tumors, the proposed study seems to be clinically relevant.