Deformed graphene FET biosensor on textured glass coupled with dielectrophoretic trapping for ultrasensitive detection of GFAP

Numerous efforts have been undertaken to mitigate the Debye screening effect of FET biosensors for achieving higher sensitivity. There are few reports that show sub-femtomolar detection of biomolecules by FET mechanisms but they either suffer from significant background noise or lack robust control. In this aspect, deformed/crumpled graphene has been recently deployed by other researchers for various biomolecule detection like DNA, COVID-19 spike proteins and immunity markers like IL-6 at sub-femtomolar levels. However, the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach for graphene fabrication suffers from various surface contamination while the transfer process induces structural defects. In this paper, an alternative fabrication methodology has been proposed where glass substrate has been initially texturized by wet chemical etching through the sacrificial layer of synthesized silver nanoparticles, obtained by annealing of thin silver films leading to solid state dewetting. Graphene has been subsequently deposited by thermal reduction technique from graphene oxide solution. The resulting deformed graphene structure exhibits higher sensor response towards glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) detection with respect to flat graphene owing to the combined effect of reduced Debye screening and higher surface area for receptor immobilization. Additionally, another interesting aspect of the reported work lies in the biomolecule capture by dielectrophoretic (DEP) transport on the crests of the convex surfaces of graphene in a coplanar gated topology structure which has resulted in 10 aM and 28 aM detection limits of GFAP in buffer and undiluted plasma respectively, within 15 min of application of analyte. The detection limit in buffer is almost four decades lower than that documented for GFAP using biosensors which is is expected to pave way for advancing graphene FET based sensors towards ultrasensitive point-of-care diagnosis of GFAP, a biomarker for traumatic brain injury.

Cryopreservation and assessment of genetic fidelity Acorus calamus Linn., an endangered medicinal plant

BACKGROUND

Acorus calamus Linn. is a medicinally valuable monocot plant belonging to the family Acoraceae. Over-exploitation and unscientific approach towards harvesting to fulfill an ever-increasing demand have placed it in the endangered list of species.

OBJECTIVE

To develop vitrification-based cryopreservation protocols for A. calamus shoot tips, using conventional vitrification and V cryo-plate.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Shoot tips (2 mm in size) were cryopreserved with the above techniques by optimizing various parameters such as preculture duration, sucrose concentration in the preculture medium, and PVS2 dehydration time. Regenerated plantlets obtained post-cryopreservation were evaluated by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to test their genetic fidelity.

RESULTS

The highest regrowth of 88.3% after PVS2 exposure of 60 min was achieved with V cryo-plate as compared to 75% after 90 min of PVS2 exposure using conventional vitrification. After cryopreservation, shoot tips developed into complete plantlets in 28 days on regrowth medium (0.5 mg/L BAP, 0.3 mg/L GA3, and 0.3 mg/L ascorbic acid). RAPD analysis revealed 100% monomorphism in all cryo-storage derived regenerants and in vitro donor (120-days-old) plants.

CONCLUSION

Shoot tips of A. calamus that were cryopreserved had 88.3% regrowth using V cryo-plate technique and the regerants retained genetic fidelity. https://doi.org/10.54680/fr24210110412.

Cryopreservation of zygotic embryos of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle, an endangered medicinal plant, by vitrification and v cryo-plate techniques

BACKGROUND

Podophyllum hexandrum is a highly endangered valuable medicinal plant of the Himalayas belonging to family Berberidaceae. This plant needs conservation efforts due to the over-exploitation and unscrupulous harvesting from the wild because of its ever-increasing demand.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a long-term cryopreservation method for Podophyllum hexandrum using two techniques: Vitrification and V Cryo-plate.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Zygotic embryos were cryopreserved using vitrification and V cryo-plate by optimization of parameters including preculture time, loading time and PVS2 dehydration time. Recovery of zygotic embryos was performed on different regrowth media for plantlet formation.

RESULTS

With V cryo-plate, 90% regrowth was obtained as compared to 73.3% with vitrification. V Cryo-plate conditions were pre-culture of zygotic embryos in 0.3 M sucrose for 4 days, treatment in loading solution with 0.8 M sucrose for 20 min, dehydration in PVS2 for 50 min, LN exposure, unloading in 1.2 M sucrose for 20 min and transfer of zygotic embryos to regrowth medium for recovery. During recovery, the maximum number of shoots (4.2) and highest shoot length (5.1 cm) were observed on regrowth medium with 1.5 mg per liter BAP and 0.1 mg per liter IAA (R7).

CONCLUSION

Zygotic embryos of Podophyllum hexandrum were cryopreserved with 90% regrowth using a V cryoplate technique and plantlets were produced directly after cryopreservation. Doi: 10.54680/fr23410110712.

Cancer trends and burden among Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families: Cancer registry data analysis from tertiary care hospital

Background

Cancer incidence is rising across the globe. The incidence and patterns of various cancers among Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans is not known. We did the analysis of registry data maintained at our hospital.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed of all patients registered at our hospital cancer registry between 01st January 2017 and 31st December 2019. Patients were registered with unique identification number. Baseline demographics and cancer subtype data were retrieved. Patients with histopathologically proven diagnosis and age ≥18 years were studied. Armed Forces Personnel (AFP) were defined as those who are in active service, and Veterans as those who had retired from service at the time of registration. Patients with Acute and Chronic Leukemias were excluded.

Results

New cases registered were 2023, 2856 and 3057 in year 2017, 2018, 2019 respectively. AFP, Veterans and dependents among them were 9.6%, 17.8%, and 72.6% respectively. Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan represented 55% of all cases with male to female ratio 1.14:1 and median age was 59 years. The median age among AFP was 39 years. Among AFP as well as veterans, Head and Neck cancer was the most common malignancy. Cancer incidence was significantly higher in adults >40 years as compared to <40 years.

Conclusion

Seven percent rise per year of new cases in this cohort is alarming. Tobacco-related cancers were the most common. There is an unmet need to establish a prospective centralized Cancer Registry to better understand the risk factors, outcomes of treatment and strengthen the policy matters.

ACR White Paper on Magnetoencephalography and Magnetic Source Imaging: A Report from the ACR Commission on Neuroradiology

Magnetoencephalography, the extracranial detection of tiny magnetic fields emanating from intracranial electrical activity of neurons, and its source modeling relation, magnetic source imaging, represent a powerful functional neuroimaging technique, able to detect and localize both spontaneous and evoked activity of the brain in health and disease. Recent years have seen an increased utilization of this technique for both clinical practice and research, in the United States and worldwide. This report summarizes current thinking, presents recommendations for clinical implementation, and offers an outlook for emerging new clinical indications.

Clinical outcomes in Covishield (ChAdOx1) and Covaxin (BBV-152) vaccinated individuals hospitalized with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2)

•

The Delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 is the predominant variant causing breakthrough infections in India.

•

Disease severity was significantly lower in vaccinated individuals.

•

Mortality reduced by >50% in fully vaccinated (two doses) individuals.

•

Vaccinated individuals had higher antibody levels and lower inflammatory markers.

•

Vaccinated deceased individuals mounted a minimal antibody response.

Background

Covishield (ChAdOx) and Covaxin (BBV-152) are the mainstream vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) used in India and a few other countries.

Objective

To assess the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who had been vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin.

Methods

This prospective, single-centre, observational cohort study of 1160 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was conducted between April and June 2021. Severity of disease at admission and during hospitalization, requirement for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and ventilatory support, inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer), neutralizing antibody levels and mortality were assessed in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

Results

More than 90% of patients in this study harboured the Delta variant (Pango lineage B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2. Severity of disease at admission and during hospitalization (3.44% vs 7.51%; P=0.0032) and requirement for ICU admission and ventilatory support (2.83% vs 5.86%; P=0.0154) were significantly lower in vaccinated patients compared with unvaccinated patients. Vaccinated patients also had significantly (P<0.0001) higher antibody levels and lower inflammatory marker levels compared with unvaccinated patients. A subset of vaccinated, deceased patients mounted minimal antibody response [‘non-responders’: 4.53 (standard deviation 1.40) AU/mL].

Conclusion

These results demonstrate the effectiveness of Covishield and Covaxin against severe disease in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with breakthrough infections caused by the Delta variant. Strategies targeting non-responders are desirable to minimize morbidity and mortality.

Role of animal models in biomedical research: a review

The animal model deals with the species other than the human, as it can imitate the disease progression, its’ diagnosis as well as a treatment similar to human. Discovery of a drug and/or component, equipment, their toxicological studies, dose, side effects are in vivo studied for future use in humans considering its’ ethical issues. Here lies the importance of the animal model for its enormous use in biomedical research. Animal models have many facets that mimic various disease conditions in humans like systemic autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular diseases, Atherosclerosis, diabetes, etc., and many more. Besides, the model has tremendous importance in drug development, development of medical devices, tissue engineering, wound healing, and bone and cartilage regeneration studies, as a model in vascular surgeries as well as the model for vertebral disc regeneration surgery. Though, all the models have some advantages as well as challenges, but, present review has emphasized the importance of various small and large animal models in pharmaceutical drug development, transgenic animal models, models for medical device developments, studies for various human diseases, bone and cartilage regeneration model, diabetic and burn wound model as well as surgical models like vascular surgeries and surgeries for intervertebral disc degeneration considering all the ethical issues of that specific animal model. Despite, the process of using the animal model has facilitated researchers to carry out the researches that would have been impossible to accomplish in human considering the ethical prohibitions.

87 PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF SCREENING TOOLS USED BY A FRAILTY INTERVENTION TEAM IN AN IRISH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Background

Various screening tools exist to identify frail and at-risk older adults in the emergency department (ED). This can facilitate targeted assessment and management, leading to improve outcomes. This study evaluated the predictive validity of four screening tools used by an ED-based team of allied health professionals.

Methods

The Variable Indicative of Placement (VIP) tool, Think Frailty Tool, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and 4AT were administered to adults aged ≥75 years as part of assessment by the Frailty Intervention Therapy Team in an Irish ED. Outcomes were hospital admission; re-attendance within 28 or 90 days; and death within 28 or 365 days. Scores were dichotomised, and for each outcome, relative risks and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated.

Results

Over the six-month period, 429 individuals (median age:82 years) were assessed. Of these, 59% were VIP-positive, 81% screened at-risk of frailty on the Think Frailty Tool, 56% screened positive for frailty on the CFS, and 16% screened positive on the 4AT. Hospital admission, re-attendance at 28 and 90 days, and death within 28 and 365 days were 56%, 12%, 27%, 5%, and 23%, respectively. Positive screens on the VIP, Think Frailty Tool, CFS and 4AT were associated with significantly increased risk of hospital admission and death within 28 or 365 days (p &lt; 0.05). Positive screens on the Think Frailty Tool and CFS were also associated with increased risk of 90-day re-attendance (p &lt; 0.05). Of the four tools, the Think Frailty Tool had the highest sensitivity (86%–100%) for all outcomes. The CFS showed high sensitivity for detecting death within 28 or 365 days (95% and 84%, respectively), but lower sensitivity (68%–75%) for other outcomes. The 4AT demonstrated the lowest sensitivity for all outcomes (20%–46%).

Conclusion

The Think Frailty Tool and CFS were the most useful for predicting adverse outcomes in this group.

Cryopreservation of a threatened medicinal plant, Valeriana jatamansi Jones, using vitrification and assessment of biosynthetic stability of regenerants

BACKGROUND

Valeriana jatamansi Jones is a medicinal plant of the Himalayan region with high trade value. Since overexploitation of this wild species led it to be listed as threatened, a comprehensive conservation strategy is needed. Cryopreservation would be a useful complementary method to conventional conservation methods.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a cryopreservation protocol for V. jatamansi with maintenance of biosynthetic stability of regenerants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In vitro shoot tips were cryopreserved using vitrification with either PVS2 or PVS3 and the efficacy of the two cryoprotectant mixtures compared. Regenerated plantlets were evaluated by HPLC analysis for contents of four valepotriates viz. valtrate, acevaltrate, didrovaltrate and IVHD valtrate.

RESULTS

The highest shoot recovery (91.6%) after transfer to liquid nitrogen was obtained when shoot tips were treated with PVS2 at 0°C for 110 min, which was significantly higher than the highest recovery (73.3%) obtained using PVS3 for any duration tested. Evaluation of biosynthetic stability showed no variation in valepotriate contents between in vitro maintained and cryopreserved derived plantlets.

CONCLUSION

This protocol will be useful for the long-term conservation of this species as high frequency recovery and biosynthetic stability after cryopreservation were obtained.

Inhibition of growth and virulence of Vibrio cholerae by carvacrol, an essential oil component of Origanum spp

AIMS

In the age where bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics is increasing at an alarming rate, the use of the traditional plant, herb extracts or other bioactive constituents is gradually becoming popular as an anti-virulence agent to treat pathogenic diseases. Carvacrol, a major essential oil fraction of Oregano, possesses a wide range of bioactivities. Therefore, we aimed to study the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of carvacrol on major virulence traits of Vibrio cholerae.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We have used in vitro as well as ex vivo models to access the anti-pathogenic role of carvacrol. We found that the sub-inhibitory concentration of carvacrol significantly repressed bacterial mucin penetrating ability. Carvacrol also reduced the adherence and fluid accumulation in the rabbit ileal loop model. Reduction in virulence is associated with the downregulated expression of tcpA, ctxB, hlyA and toxT. Furthermore, carvacrol inhibits flagellar synthesis by downregulating the expression of flrC and most of the class III genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Carvacrol exhibited anti-virulence activity against V. cholerae, which involved many events including the inhibition of mucin penetration, adhesion, reduced expression of virulence-associated genes culminating in reduced fluid accumulation.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

These findings indicate that carvacrol possesses inhibitory activity against V. cholerae pathogenesis and might be considered as a potential bio-active therapeutic alternative to combat cholera.

A Distinct Phylogenetic Cluster of Indian Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Isolates

BACKGROUND

From an isolated epidemic, coronavirus disease 2019 has now emerged as a global pandemic. The availability of genomes in the public domain after the epidemic provides a unique opportunity to understand the evolution and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus across the globe.

METHODS

We performed whole-genome sequencing of 303 Indian isolates, and we analyzed them in the context of publicly available data from India.

RESULTS

We describe a distinct phylogenetic cluster (Clade I/A3i) of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from India, which encompasses 22% of all genomes deposited in the public domain from India. Globally, approximately 2% of genomes, which to date could not be mapped to any distinct known cluster, fall within this clade.

CONCLUSIONS

The cluster is characterized by a core set of 4 genetic variants and has a nucleotide substitution rate of 1.1 × 10-3 variants per site per year, which is lower than the prevalent A2a cluster. Epidemiological assessments suggest that the common ancestor emerged at the end of January 2020 and possibly resulted in an outbreak followed by countrywide spread. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study characterizing this cluster of SARS-CoV-2 in India.

The evolution of white matter microstructural changes after mild traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal DTI and NODDI study

Neuroimaging biomarkers that can detect white matter (WM) pathology after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and predict long-term outcome are needed to improve care and develop therapies. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to investigate WM microstructure cross-sectionally and longitudinally after mTBI and correlate these with neuropsychological performance. Cross-sectionally, early decreases of fractional anisotropy and increases of mean diffusivity corresponded to WM regions with elevated free water fraction on NODDI. This elevated free water was more extensive in the patient subgroup reporting more early postconcussive symptoms. The longer-term longitudinal WM changes consisted of declining neurite density on NODDI, suggesting axonal degeneration from diffuse axonal injury for which NODDI is more sensitive than DTI. Therefore, NODDI is a more sensitive and specific biomarker than DTI for WM microstructural changes due to mTBI that merits further study for mTBI diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring.

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 45 countries for 2012-2017: Device-associated module

BACKGROUND

We report the results of International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2012 to December 2017 in 523 intensive care units (ICUs) in 45 countries from Latin America, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific.

METHODS

During the 6-year study period, prospective data from 532,483 ICU patients hospitalized in 242 hospitals, for an aggregate of 2,197,304 patient days, were collected through the INICC Surveillance Online System (ISOS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection (DA-HAI) were applied.

RESULTS

Although device use in INICC ICUs was similar to that reported from CDC-NHSN ICUs, DA-HAI rates were higher in the INICC ICUs: in the medical-surgical ICUs, the pooled central line-associated bloodstream infection rate was higher (5.05 vs 0.8 per 1,000 central line-days); the ventilator-associated pneumonia rate was also higher (14.1 vs 0.9 per 1,000 ventilator-days,), as well as the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.1 vs 1.7 per 1,000 catheter-days). From blood cultures samples, frequencies of resistance, such as of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to piperacillin-tazobactam (33.0% vs 18.3%), were also higher.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a significant trend toward the reduction in INICC ICUs, DA-HAI rates are still much higher compared with CDC-NHSN's ICUs representing the developed world. It is INICC's main goal to provide basic and cost-effective resources, through the INICC Surveillance Online System to tackle the burden of DA-HAIs effectively.

Emergent magnetic order and correlated disorder in formate metal-organic frameworks

Magnetic materials with strong local interactions but lacking long-range order have long been a curiosity of physicists. Probing their magnetic interactions is crucial for understanding the unique properties they can exhibit. Metal-organic frameworks have recently gathered more attention as they can produce more exotic structures, allowing for controlled design of magnetic properties not found in conventional metal-oxide materials. Historically, magnetic diffuse scattering in such materials has been overlooked but has attracted greater attention recently, with advances in techniques. In this study, we investigate the magnetic structure of metal-organic formate frameworks, using heat capacity, magnetic susceptibility and neutron diffraction. In Tb(DCO₂)₃, we observe emergent magnetic order at temperatures below 1.2 K, consisting of two k-vectors. Ho(DCO₂)₃ shows diffuse scattering above 1.6 K, consistent with ferromagnetic chains packed in a frustrated antiferromagnetic triangular lattice, also observed in Tb(DCO₂)₃ above 1.2 K. The other lanthanides show no short- or long-range order down to 1.6 K. The results suggest an Ising-like one-dimensional magnetic order associated with frustration is responsible for the magnetocaloric properties, of some members in this family, improving at higher temperatures. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mineralomimesis: natural and synthetic frameworks in science and technology'.

Ferroelasticity, anelasticity and magnetoelastic relaxation in Co-doped iron pnictide: Ba(Fe0.957Co0.043)2As2

The hypothesis that strain has a permeating influence on ferroelastic, magnetic and superconducting transitions in 122 iron pnictides has been tested by investigating variations of the elastic and anelastic properties of a single crystal of Ba(Fe_0.957Co_0.043)₂As₂ by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy as a function of temperature and externally applied magnetic field. Non-linear softening and stiffening of C ₆₆ in the stability fields of both the tetragonal and orthorhombic structures has been found to conform quantitatively to the Landau expansion for a pseudoproper ferroelastic transition which is second order in character. The only exception is that the transition occurs at a temperature (T _S  ≈  69 K) ~10 K above the temperature at which C ₆₆ would extrapolate to zero ([Formula: see text]  ≈  59 K). An absence of anomalies associated with antiferromagnetic ordering below T _N  ≈  60 K implies that coupling of the magnetic order parameter with shear strain is weak. It is concluded that linear-quadratic coupling between the structural/electronic and antiferromagnetic order parameters is suppressed due to the effects of local heterogeneous strain fields arising from the substitution of Fe by Co. An acoustic loss peak at ~50-55 K is attributed to the influence of mobile ferroelastic twin walls that become pinned by a thermally activated process involving polaronic defects. Softening of C ₆₆ by up to ~6% below the normal-superconducting transition at T _c  ≈  13 K demonstrates an effective coupling of the shear strain with the order parameter for the superconducting transition which arises indirectly as a consequence of unfavourable coupling of the superconducting order parameter with the ferroelastic order parameter. Ba(Fe_0.957Co_0.043)₂As₂ is representative of 122 pnictides as forming a class of multiferroic superconductors in which elastic strain relaxations underpin almost all aspects of coupling between the structural, magnetic and superconducting order parameters and of dynamic properties of the transformation microstructures they contain.

Strain relaxation behaviour of vortices in a multiferroic superconductor

The elastic and anelastic properties of a single crystal of Co-doped pnictide Ba(Fe_0.957Co_0.043)₂As₂ have been determined by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy in the frequency range 10-500 kHz, both as a function of temperature through the normal-superconducting transition (T _c  ≈  12.5 K) and as a function of applied magnetic field up to 12.5 T. Correlation with thermal expansion, electrical resistivity, heat capacity, DC and AC magnetic data from crystals taken from the same synthetic batch has revealed the permeating influence of strain on coupling between order parameters for the ferroelastic (Q _E) and superconducting (Q _SC) transitions and on the freezing/relaxation behaviour of vortices. Elastic softening through T _c in zero field can be understood in terms of classical coupling of the order parameter with the shear strain e ₆, λe ₆ [Formula: see text], which means that there must be a common strain mechanism for coupling of the form λ [Formula: see text] Q _E. At fields of ~5 T and above, this softening is masked by Debye-like stiffening and acoustic loss processes due to vortex freezing. The first loss peak may be associated with the establishment of superconductivity on ferroelastic twin walls ahead of the matrix and the second is due to the vortex liquid-vortex glass transition. Strain contrast between vortex cores and the superconducting matrix will contribute significantly to interactions of vortices both with each other and with the underlying crystal structure. These interactions imply that iron-pnictides represent a class of multiferroic superconductors in which strain-mediated coupling occurs between the multiferroic properties (ferroelasticity, antiferromagnetism) and superconductivity.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in Diagnosing Stable Ischemic Heart Disease

OBJECTIVE

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI) in diagnosing Stable Ischemic Heart Disease (SIHD).

METHODS

To analyze the sensitivity and specificity of Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI) in diagnosing Stable Ischemic Heart Disease (SIHD) by comparing with "gold standard" Coronary Angiogram.

RESULTS

A total of 80 patients were studied (51 male, 29 female). 52 patients had significant stenosis in coronary angiography and 49 patients had reversible perfusion defect in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). MPI had a sensitivity of 88.46% and a specificity of 89.29% in diagnosing stable ischemic heart disease.

CONCLUSION

Coronary Angiography remains the near gold standard in diagnosing ischemic heart disease but is associated with serious complications like stroke, arrhythmias, acute renal failure, infection, etc. Though Myocardial perfusion imaging cannot replace coronary angiogram, it can be used as a reliable and sensitive non-invasive alternate investigation to diagnose stable ischemic heart disease in high risk individuals who are unwilling for angiogram.

Detection of classical swine fever virus E2 gene in cattle serum samples from cattle herds of Meghalaya

The present study focused on the detection and genetic characterisation of 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) and E2 gene of classical swine fever virus (CSFV, family Flaviviridae, genus Pestivirus) from bovine population of the northeastern region of India. A total of 134 cattle serum samples were collected from organised cattle farms and were screened for CSFV antigen with a commercial antigen capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A total of 10 samples were positive for CSFV antigen by ELISA, while all of them were positive in PCR for 5'UTR region. Full length E2 region of CSFV were successfully amplified from two positive samples and used for subsequent phylogenetic analysis and determination of protein 3D structure which showed similarity with reported CSFV isolate from Assam of sub-genogroup 2.1, with minor variations in protein structure.

Sensitivity of magnetic properties to chemical pressure in lanthanide garnets Ln 3 A 2 X 3O12, Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, A = Ga, Sc, In, Te, X = Ga, Al, Li

A systematic study of the structural and magnetic properties of three-dimensionally frustrated lanthanide garnets Ln ₃ A ₂ X ₃O₁₂, Ln  =  Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, A  =  Ga, Sc, In, Te, X  =  Ga, Al, Li is presented. Garnets with Ln  =  Gd show magnetic behaviour consistent with isotropic Gd³⁺ spins; no magnetic ordering is observed for T  ⩾  0.4 K. Magnetic ordering features are seen for garnets with Ln  =  Tb, Dy, Ho in the temperature range 0.4  <  T  <  2.5 K, however the nature of the magnetic ordering varies for the different Ln as well as for different combinations of A and X. The magnetic behaviour can be explained by tuning of the magnetic interactions and changes in the single-ion anisotropy. The change in magnetic entropy is evaluated from isothermal magnetisation measurements to characterise the magnetocaloric effect in these materials. Among the Gd garnets, the maximum change in magnetic entropy per mole (15.45 J K^-1 [Formula: see text]) is observed for Gd₃Sc₂Ga₃O₁₂ at 2 K, in a field of 9 T. The performance of Dy₃Ga₅O₁₂ as a magnetocaloric material surpasses the other garnets with Ln  =  Tb, Dy, Ho.

Magnetic properties of monoclinic lanthanide metaborates, Ln(BO2)3, Ln = Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb

The bulk magnetic properties of the lanthanide metaborates, Ln(BO₂)₃, Ln  =  Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb are studied using magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and isothermal magnetisation measurements. They are found to crystallise in a monoclinic structure containing chains of magnetic Ln ³⁺ and could therefore exhibit features of low-dimensional magnetism and frustration. Pr(BO₂)₃ is found to have a non-magnetic singlet ground state. No magnetic ordering is observed down to 0.4 K for Nd(BO₂)₃. Gd(BO₂)₃ exhibits a sharp magnetic transition at 1.1 K, corresponding to 3D magnetic ordering. Tb(BO₂)₃ shows two magnetic ordering features at 1.05 K and 1.95 K. A magnetisation plateau at a third of the saturation magnetisation is seen at 2 K for both Nd(BO₂)₃ and Tb(BO₂)₃, which persists in an applied field of 14 T. This is proposed to be a signature of quasi 1D behaviour in Nd(BO₂)₃ and Tb(BO₂)₃.

Toward Precision and Reproducibility of Diffusion Tensor Imaging: A Multicenter Diffusion Phantom and Traveling Volunteer Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Precision medicine is an approach to disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention that relies on quantitative biomarkers that minimize the variability of individual patient measurements. The aim of this study was to assess the intersite variability after harmonization of a high-angular-resolution 3T diffusion tensor imaging protocol across 13 scanners at the 11 academic medical centers participating in the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury multisite study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Diffusion MR imaging was acquired from a novel isotropic diffusion phantom developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and from the brain of a traveling volunteer on thirteen 3T MR imaging scanners representing 3 major vendors (GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, and Siemens). Means of the DTI parameters and their coefficients of variation across scanners were calculated for each DTI metric and white matter tract.

RESULTS

For the National Institute of Standards and Technology diffusion phantom, the coefficients of variation of the apparent diffusion coefficient across the 13 scanners was <3.8% for a range of diffusivities from 0.4 to 1.1 × 10^-6 mm²/s. For the volunteer, the coefficients of variations across scanners of the 4 primary DTI metrics, each averaged over the entire white matter skeleton, were all <5%. In individual white matter tracts, large central pathways showed good reproducibility with the coefficients of variation consistently below 5%. However, smaller tracts showed more variability, with the coefficients of variation of some DTI metrics reaching 10%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest the feasibility of standardizing DTI across 3T scanners from different MR imaging vendors in a large-scale neuroimaging research study.

Results from the Survey of Antibiotic Resistance (SOAR) 2012-14 in Thailand, India, South Korea and Singapore

OBJECTIVES

To provide susceptibility data for community-acquired respiratory tract isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis collected in 2012-14 from four Asian countries.

METHODS

MICs were determined using Etest(®) for all antibiotics except erythromycin, which was evaluated by disc diffusion. Susceptibility was assessed using CLSI, EUCAST and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) breakpoints. For macrolide/clindamycin interpretation, breakpoints were adjusted for incubation in CO2 where available.

RESULTS

Susceptibility of S. pneumoniae was generally lower in South Korea than in other countries. Penicillin susceptibility assessed using CLSI oral or EUCAST breakpoints ranged from 21.2% in South Korea to 63.8% in Singapore. In contrast, susceptibility using CLSI intravenous breakpoints was much higher, at 79% in South Korea and ∼95% or higher elsewhere. Macrolide susceptibility was ∼20% in South Korea and ∼50%-60% elsewhere. Among S. pyogenes isolates (India only), erythromycin susceptibility (∼20%) was lowest of the antibiotics tested. In H. influenzae antibiotic susceptibility was high except for ampicillin, where susceptibility ranged from 16.7% in South Korea to 91.1% in India. South Korea also had a high percentage (18.1%) of β-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant isolates. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid susceptibility for each pathogen (PK/PD high dose) was between 93% and 100% in all countries except for H. influenzae in South Korea (62.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Use of EUCAST versus CLSI breakpoints had profound differences for cefaclor, cefuroxime and ofloxacin, with EUCAST showing lower susceptibility. There was considerable variability in susceptibility among countries in the same region. Thus, continued surveillance is necessary to track future changes in antibiotic resistance.

Immunization of Mice with a Live Transconjugant Shigella Hybrid Strain Induced Th1 and Th17 Cell-Mediated Immune Responses and Confirmed Passive Protection Against Heterologous Shigellae

An avirulent, live transconjugant Shigella hybrid (LTSHΔstx) strain was constructed in our earlier study by introducing a plasmid vector, pPR1347, into a Shiga toxin gene deleted Shigella dysenteriae 1. Three successive oral administrations of LTSHΔstx to female adult mice produced comprehensive passive heterologous protection in their offspring against challenge with wild-type shigellae. Production of NO and different cytokines such asIL-12p70, IL-1β and IL-23 in peritoneal mice macrophages indicated that LTSHΔstx induced innate and adaptive immunity in mice. Furthermore, production of IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-17 in LTSH-primed splenic CD4+ T cell suggested that LTSHΔstx may induce Th1 and Th17 cell-mediated immune responses. Exponential increase of the serum IgG and IgA titre against whole shigellae was observed in immunized adult mice during and after the immunization with the highest peak on day 35. Antigen-specific sIgA was also determined from intestinal lavage of immunized mice. The stomach extracts of neonates from immunized mice, mainly containing mother's milk, contained significant levels of anti-LTSHΔstx immunoglobulin. These studies suggest that the LTSHΔstx could be a new live oral vaccine candidate against shigellosis in the near future.

Abstract P4-09-16: A monoclonal antibody with exceptional specificity across major breast cancer subtypes

Background: Breast cancer (BC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States and is recognized to be a heterogeneous disease. Advances in technologies such as whole genome sequencing are leading the way to precision medicine and the leading researchers are envisioning personalized therapies in the not too distant future. However, given the diversity of cancer cell populations, that remains a challenging task at best. The tumor form of MUC1 (designated tMUC1), a transmembrane glycoprotein, is aberrantly glycosylated and overexpressed in ∼95% of BC. We have developed an antibody (TAB004) that specifically recognizes tMUC1 across all major subtypes of BC and importantly does not recognize normal breast epithelia. This is a significant development in light of the challenges faced in treating triple negative BC.

Methods: A panel of thirty BC cell lines was obtained from ATCC. The following techniques were used to assess the specificity of TAB 004 to the major subtypes based on ER, PR and Her2 expression: 1) Flow cytometry to quantify membrane bound expression of tMUC1 using Cy7-conjugated TAB004; 2) Western blotting to detect molecular weight patterns of tMUC1 in whole cell lysate; 3) A TAB004 based GMP-grade ELISA kit to measure shed tMUC1 in the supernatant and 4) In vivo imaging of tumors in mice using TAB 004 conjugated to Indocyanine Green (ICG). Specificity and sensitivity was further confirmed using primary human serum and tissue samples from all major BC subtypes obtained from bio-repositories at Duke University Cancer Center, Fox Chase Cancer Center and Carolinas Health Care System. Shed tMUC1 in serum samples were tested using the TAB 004 ELISA kit and tissue sections were analyzed using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with TAB 004 conjugated to HRP.

Results: 1) Flow cytometry data shows that TAB 004 recognized tMUC1 on all major BC subtypes: 25 out of 30 BC cell lines tested had higher expression than a normal epithelial breast cell line; 2) Western blotting also detected tMUC1 on all BC subtypes with distinct molecular weight patterns; 3) ELISA showed high levels of shed tMUC1 by most BC cells and correlated with bound/cytoplasmic levels. 4) In vivo imaging shows clear localization of TAB004-ICG to the tumors expressing tMUC1. Primary human breast cancer patient data shows that shed tMUC1 was detected in the serum obtained from all major BC subtypes and showed statistically significant differentiation from normal/benign. IHC results show strong tMUC1 expression in malignant tissue with excellent differentiation from adjacent normal tissue.

Conclusion: TAB004 antibody's extraordinary specificity across major BC subtypes has been confirmed with flow cytometry, western blotting, ELISA and Immunohistochemistry. A number of clinical applications are under development: (a) An ELISA test as a supplement to mammography for the early detection of BC in women with dense breasts; (b) serum monitoring during treatment and to detect disease recurrence; and, (c) targeted antibody-drug/antibody-imaging agent based therapies and imaging modalities particularly for triple negative BC.

Citation Format: Das Roy L, Zhou R, Dillon L, Moore LJ, Puri R, Marks JR, Lyerly HK, Mukherjee P. A monoclonal antibody with exceptional specificity across major breast cancer subtypes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-09-16.

Relationship between M100 Auditory Evoked Response and Auditory Radiation Microstructure in 16p11.2 Deletion and Duplication Carriers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Deletion and duplication of chromosome 16p11.2 (BP4-BP5) have been associated with developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, and deletion subjects exhibit a large (20-ms) delay of the auditory evoked cortical response as measured by magnetoencephalography (M100 latency). The purpose of this study was to use a multimodal approach to test whether changes in white matter microstructure are associated with delayed M100 latency.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty pediatric deletion carriers, 9 duplication carriers, and 39 control children were studied with both magnetoencephalography and diffusion MR imaging. The M100 latency and auditory system DTI measures were compared between groups and tested for correlation.

RESULTS

In controls, white matter diffusivity significantly correlated with the speed of the M100 response. However, the relationship between structure and function appeared uncoupled in 16p11.2 copy number variation carriers. The alterations to auditory system white matter microstructure in the 16p11.2 deletion only partially accounted for the 20-ms M100 delay. Although both duplication and deletion groups exhibit abnormal white matter microstructure, only the deletion group has delayed M100 latency.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that gene dosage impacts factors other than white matter microstructure, which modulate conduction velocity.

Sensitivity of the cochlear nerve to acoustic and electrical stimulation months after a vestibular labyrinthectomy in guinea pigs

Single-sided deafness patients are now being considered candidates to receive a cochlear implant. With this, many people who have undergone a unilateral vestibular labyrinthectomy for the treatment of chronic vertigo are now being considered for cochlear implantation. There is still some concern regarding the potential efficacy of cochlear implants in these patients, where factors such as cochlear fibrosis or nerve degeneration following unilateral vestibular labyrinthectomy may preclude their use. Here, we have performed a unilateral vestibular labyrinthectomy in normally hearing guinea pigs, and allowed them to recover for either 6 weeks, or 10 months, before assessing morphological and functional changes related to cochlear implantation. Light sheet fluorescence microscopy was used to assess gross morphology throughout the entire ear. Whole nerve responses to acoustic, vibrational, or electrical stimuli were used as functional measures. Mild cellular infiltration was observed at 6 weeks, and to a lesser extent at 10 months after labyrinthectomy. Following labyrinthectomy, cochlear sensitivity to high-frequency acoustic tone-bursts was reduced by 16 ± 4 dB, vestibular sensitivity was almost entirely abolished, and electrical sensitivity was only mildly reduced. These results support recent clinical findings that patients who have received a vestibular labyrinthectomy may still benefit from a cochlear implant.

Vibrational spectroscopy and imaging for concurrent cellular trafficking of co-localized doxorubicin and deuterated phospholipid vesicles

Simultaneous tracking of nanoparticles and encapsulated payload is of great importance and visualizing their activity is arduous. Here we use vibrational spectroscopy to study the in vitro tracking of co-localized lipid nanoparticles and encapsulated drug employing a model system derived from doxorubicin-encapsulated deuterated phospholipid (dodecyl phosphocholine-d38) single tailed phospholipid vesicles.

Selective picomolar level fluorometric sensing of the Cr(vi)-oxoanion in a water medium by a novel metal–organic complex

Selective picomolar level fluorometric sensing of the Cr(vi)-oxoanion in a water medium has been achieved by a novel metal–organic complex.

Remote triggering of thermoresponsive PNIPAM by iron oxide nanoparticles

Thermoresponsive PNIPAN can be remotely triggered by embedded iron oxide nanoparticles under an AC field, and the transition temperature can be tuned by changing the ionic concentration.

Direct gas-phase formation of complex core–shell and three-layer Mn–Bi nanoparticles

STEM images and elemental maps of Mn and Bi showing formation of complex core–shell and three-layer structure.

From core/shell to hollow Fe/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles: evolution of the magnetic behavior

High quality Fe/γ-Fe2O3 core/shell, core/void/shell, and hollow nanoparticles with two different sizes of 8 and 12 nm were synthesized, and the effect of morphology, surface and finite-size effects on their magnetic properties including the exchange bias (EB) effect were systematically investigated. We find a general trend for both systems that as the morphology changes from core/shell to core/void/shell, the magnetization of the system decays and inter-particle interactions become weaker, while the effective anisotropy and the EB effect increase. The changes are more drastic when the nanoparticles become completely hollow. Noticeably, the morphological change from core/shell to hollow increases the mean blocking temperature for the 12 nm particles but decreases for the 8 nm particles. The low-temperature magnetic behavior of the 12 nm particles changes from a collective super-spin-glass system mediated by dipolar interactions for the core/shell nanoparticles to a frustrated cluster glass-like state for the shell nanograins in the hollow morphology. On the other hand for the 8 nm nanoparticles core/shell and hollow particles the magnetic behavior is more similar, and a conventional spin glass-like transition is obtained at low temperatures. In the case of the hollow nanoparticles, the coupling between the inner and outer spin layers in the shell gives rise to an enhanced EB effect, which increases with increasing shell thickness. This indicates that the morphology of the shell plays a crucial role in this kind of exchange-biased systems.

Identification of different species of Bacillus isolated from Nisargruna Biogas Plant by FTIR, UV-Vis and NIR spectroscopy

Definitive identification of microorganisms, including pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria, is extremely important for a wide variety of applications including food safety, environmental studies, bio-terrorism threats, microbial forensics, criminal investigations and above all disease diagnosis. Although extremely powerful techniques such as those based on PCR and microarrays exist, they require sophisticated laboratory facilities along with elaborate sample preparation by trained researchers. Among different spectroscopic techniques, FTIR was used in the 1980s and 90s for bacterial identification. In the present study five species of Bacillus were isolated from the aerobic predigester chamber of Nisargruna Biogas Plant (NBP) and were identified to the species level by biochemical and molecular biological (16S ribosomal DNA sequence) methods. Those organisms were further checked by solid state spectroscopic absorbance measurements using a wide range of electromagnetic radiation (wavelength 200 nm to 25,000 nm) encompassing UV, visible, near Infrared and Infrared regions. UV-Vis and NIR spectroscopy was performed on dried bacterial cell suspension on silicon wafer in specular mode while FTIR was performed on KBr pellets containing the bacterial cells. Consistent and reproducible species specific spectra were obtained and sensitivity up to a level of 1000 cells was observed in FTIR with a DTGS detector. This clearly shows the potential of solid state spectroscopic techniques for simple, easy to implement, reliable and sensitive detection of bacteria from environmental samples.

Traumatic brain injury imaging research roadmap

The past decade has seen impressive advances in the types of neuroimaging information that can be acquired in patients with traumatic brain injury. However, despite this increase in information, understanding of the contribution of this information to prognostic accuracy and treatment pathways for patients is limited. Available techniques often allow us to infer the presence of microscopic changes indicative of alterations in physiology and function in brain tissue. However, because histologic confirmation is typically lacking, conclusions reached by using these techniques remain solely inferential in almost all cases. Hence, a need exists for validation of these techniques by using data from large population samples that are obtained in a uniform manner, analyzed according to well-accepted procedures, and correlated with closely monitored clinical outcomes. At present, many of these approaches remain confined to population-based research rather than diagnosis at an individual level, particularly with regard to traumatic brain injury that is mild or moderate in degree. A need and a priority exist for patient-centered tools that will allow advanced neuroimaging tools to be brought into clinical settings. One barrier to developing these tools is a lack of an age-, sex-, and comorbidities-stratified, sequence-specific, reference imaging data base that could provide a clear understanding of normal variations across populations. Such a data base would provide researchers and clinicians with the information necessary to develop computational tools for the patient-based interpretation of advanced neuroimaging studies in the clinical setting. The recent "Joint ASNR-ACR HII-ASFNR TBI Workshop: Bringing Advanced Neuroimaging for Traumatic Brain Injury into the Clinic" on May 23, 2014, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, brought together neuroradiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, neuroimaging scientists, members of the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, industry representatives, and other traumatic brain injury stakeholders to attempt to reach consensus on issues related to and develop consensus recommendations in terms of creating both a well-characterized normative data base of comprehensive imaging and ancillary data to serve as a reference for tools that will allow interpretation of advanced neuroimaging tests at an individual level of a patient with traumatic brain injury. The workshop involved discussions concerning the following: 1) designation of the policies and infrastructure needed for a normative data base, 2) principles for characterizing normal control subjects, and 3) standardizing research neuroimaging protocols for traumatic brain injury. The present article summarizes these recommendations and examines practical steps to achieve them.

Direct chemical synthesis of L1(0)-FePtAu nanoparticles with high coercivity

We report a facile synthesis of hard magnetic L10-FePtAu nanoparticles by coreduction of Fe(acac)3, Pt(acac)2 (acac = acetylacetonate) and gold acetate in oleylamine. In the current reaction condition, NP sizes are controlled to be 5.5 to 11.0 nm by changing the amount of Au doping. When the Au composition in the NPs is higher than 14%, the hard magnetic NPs are directly obtained without any annealing. The highest coercivity of 12.15 kOe at room temperature could be achieved for the NPs with 32% Au doping, which is much higher than the coercivities reported by the previous studies on solution-synthesized FePt nanoparticles. The reported one-pot synthesis of L10-FePtAu NPs may help to build superstrong magnets for magnetic or data-storage applications.