COVID 19 is known to cause immune dysregulation and vitamin D is a known immunomodulator. This study aims to objectively investigate the impact of Pulse D therapy in reducing the inflammatory markers ...of COVID-19. Consented COVID-19 patients with hypovitaminosis D were evaluated for inflammatory markers (N/L ratio, CRP, LDH, IL6, Ferritin) along with vitamin D on 0th day and 9th/11th day as per their respective BMI category. Subjects were randomised into VD and NVD groups. VD group received Pulse D therapy (targeted daily supplementation of 60,000 IUs of vitamin D for 8 or 10 days depending upon their BMI) in addition to the standard treatment. NVD group received standard treatment alone. Differences in the variables between the two groups were analysed for statistical significance. Eighty seven out of one hundred and thirty subjects have completed the study (VD:44, NVD:43). Vitamin D level has increased from 16 ± 6 ng/ml to 89 ± 32 ng/ml after Pulse D therapy in VD group and highly significant (p < 0.01) reduction of all the measured inflammatory markers was noted. Reduction of markers in NVD group was insignificant (p > 0.05). The difference in the reduction of markers between the groups (NVD vs VD) was highly significant (p < 0.01). Therapeutic improvement in vitamin D to 80-100 ng/ml has significantly reduced the inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19 without any side effects. Hence, adjunctive Pulse D therapy can be added safely to the existing treatment protocols of COVID-19 for improved outcomes.
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with radial acquisition regime (RADAR; RADAR-DWI) is a fast spin echo (FSE)–based DWI imaging technique that is known to be robust to magnetic susceptibility ...artifacts and distortions as compared with echo planar imaging DWI (EPI-DWI). Several reports have suggested that the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained with FSE-based DWI are different from those obtained with EPI-DWI. The purpose of this study was to create phantoms that mimic the T2 and ADC values of various tissues and to demonstrate the ADC values obtained with RADAR-DWI and EPI-DWI in low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems.
Several phantoms were created using sucrose and manganese (II) chloride tetrahydrate mimicking various tissues. RADAR-DWI and EPI-DWI were used to scan the phantoms, and the obtained ADC values were compared.
The ADC values obtained with RADAR-DWI were significantly higher than those obtained with EPI-DWI for all phantoms (P < 0.05). The ADC values obtained by RADAR-DWI ranged from 0.70 ± 0.01 to 1.21 ± 0.02 ( × 10−3mm2s−1). Meanwhile, the ADC values obtained with EPI-DWI ranged from 0.59 ± 0.01 to 1.08 ± 0.05 ( × 10−3mm2s−1).
We created phantoms mimicking T2 and ADC values of various tissues and demonstrated the differences in ADC values obtained with RADAR-DWI and EPI-DWI using low-field MRI systems.
ADC values obtained by RADAR-DWI are significantly higher than those obtained by EPI-DWI, with different cutoff values for various tumor malignancies between them.
Abstract
The radiation hazards in each region depend on its surface distribution and activity of
232
Th,
137
Cs,
40
K, and
238
U radioactive elements. Due to the presence of personnel, professors, ...and students in the Graduate University of Advanced Technology (KGUT) environment, it is important to investigate the dose received due to
232
Th,
137
Cs,
40
K, and
238
U elements in the soil of this area. For this purpose, first, 44 soil samples were collected from different areas of the university, and the specific activity of
232
Th,
137
Cs,
40
K, and
238
U elements was obtained with the CsI (Tl) scintillation detector. Then, using radiation hazard equations, the distribution of radiation hazard parameters at the university zone has been calculated. The research results show that the average specific activity of
232
Th,
137
Cs,
40
K, and
238
U elements at the university zone is equal to 13.51, 4.53, 47.64, and 13.01 Bq/kg. The activities of
232
Th,
40
K, and
238
U elements are below the permissible limit and
137
Cs is higher than the permissible limit. Also, the average of Ra
eq
, D
Y
, D
out
, D
in
, D
tot
, H
ex
, H
in
, I
γ
, and ELCR radiation hazard quantities are 81.26 (Bq/kg), 72.31 (mGy/y), 0.088 (mGy/y), 0.088 (mGy/y), 0.17 (mGy/y), 0.11, 0.15, 0.18 and 0.62 respectively. According to the results the D
Y
and D
out
radiation hazards are more than the permissible limit and the rest of the radiation hazard parameters are less than the permissible limit. Results have shown that the Annual Effective Dose outside (soil) and inside (soil and granite) of the KGUT office building was (22 ± 0.22) μSv/y, (0.13 ± 0.0013) mSv/y. Finally, the distribution of natural radioactive elements and radiation hazards in different parts of the university shows that except for D
Y
and D
out
, all radiation hazard parameters in the administrative buildings and dormitories of the university are less than the permissible limit. Therefore, the annual presence of staff, students, and professors in the university are allowed.
Devices to generate on-demand non-local spin entangled electron pairs have potential application as solid-state analogues of the entangled photon sources used in quantum optics. Recently, Andreev ...entanglers that use two quantum dots as filters to adiabatically split and separate the quasi-particles of Cooper pairs have shown efficient splitting through measurements of the transport charge but the spin entanglement has not been directly confirmed. Here we report measurements on parallel quantum dot Josephson junction devices allowing a Josephson current to flow due to the adiabatic splitting and recombination of the Cooper pair between the dots. The evidence for this non-local transport is confirmed through study of the non-dissipative supercurrent while tuning independently the dots with local electrical gates. As the Josephson current arises only from processes that maintain the coherence, we can confirm that a current flows from the spatially separated entangled pair.
The double inversion recovery (DIR) technique suppresses two types of tissue signals with different T1 values by applying two inversion recovery (IR) pulses with different inversion times (TI). In ...contrast, the double tissue suppression with multi-echo acquisition and single TI combining HIRE (DOMUST-HIRE) method, is a technique enabling the white-matter-attenuated inversion recovery (WAIR) images by setting one inversion time (TI) in a sequence based on the multi-echo method and subtracting the second echo image from the first echo image. Here, we propose a new sequence that can provide the gray-matter-attenuated inversion recovery image based on the DOMUST-HIRE method.
In this small clinical study, we performed determination of optimal TI and physical evaluation by imaging a subject’s head with T1WI and our proposed method for GAIR images.
Our proposed method could increase the contrast ratio and the contrast-to-noise ratio between white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM), whereas the signal-to-noise ratio WM and GM decreased than with T1WI method.
Our proposed method can be used to suppress GM and CSF signals.
The use of our proposed method in low-field MRI systems could provide GAIR image.
We report on the fabrication and electrical characterization of an InAs double-nanowire (NW) device consisting of two closely placed parallel NWs coupled to a common superconducting electrode on one ...side and individual normal metal leads on the other. In this new type of device we detect Cooper-pair splitting (CPS) with a sizeable efficiency of correlated currents in both NWs. In contrast to earlier experiments, where CPS was realized in a single NW, demonstrating an intrawire electron pairing mediated by the superconductor (SC), our experiment demonstrates an interwire interaction mediated by the common SC. The latter is the key for the realization of zero-magnetic field Majorana bound states, or Parafermions; in NWs and therefore constitutes a milestone towards topological superconductivity. In addition, we observe transport resonances that occur only in the superconducting state, which we tentatively attribute to Andreev bound states and/or Yu-Shiba resonances that form in the proximitized section of one NW.
•High cognitive impairment among African stroke survivors at 2–3 months after stroke.•hsCRP level is high among stroke survivors with concurrent cognitive impairment.•Post-stroke inflammation ...correlates with working memory and duration of stroke.•Body mass index predicts memory function among stroke survivors.
Stroke remains a major factor causing death and disabilities such as cognitive impairment. There is conflicting evidence on the role and dynamics of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), an acute phase pro-inflammatory protein, in post-stroke cognitive impairment. This study evaluated cognitive impairment and examined its relationship with serum hsCRP in the first three months following stroke. Cognition was assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment test, while serum hsCRP concentrations were assessed using enzyme link immunosorbent assay kit. Data were processed using SPSS Statistics version 20.0. Sixty subjects, comprising of 30 stroke patients and 30 healthy subjects, matched for age, sex and level of education were studied. Cognitive impairment was observed among the stroke patients, while the healthy subjects showed normal cognitive function; and the difference in the cognitive scores of the two groups was highly significant (P = 0.001). There was higher prevalence of cognitive impairment among the stroke survivors compared to the non-stroke subjects. Serum hsCRP was significantly higher among the stroke survivors compared to the healthy subjects (P = 0.001). The high hsCRP level correlates well with duration of stroke and working memory domain of cognition. The data revealed a high prevalence of cognitive impairment and concurrent high serum hsCRP levels among stroke survivors in the first three months following stroke, in contrast with normal subjects. The high hsCRP level correlates with duration of stroke and working memory domain of cognition. The data suggest a role for serum hsCRP and inflammation in the development of post-stroke cognitive impairment.
Aims
Glycyrrhiza glabra is a high‐value medicinal plant thriving in biodiversity rich Kashmir Himalaya. The present study was designed to explore the fungal endophytes from G. glabra as a source of ...bioactive molecules.
Methods and Results
The extracts prepared from the isolated endophytes were evaluated for anti‐microbial activities using broth micro‐dilution assay. The endophytic strain coded as A2 exhibiting promising anti‐bacterial as well as anti‐tuberculosis activity was identified as Fusarium solani by ITS‐5.8S ribosomal gene sequencing technique. This strain was subjected to large‐scale fermentation followed by isolation of its bioactive compounds using column chromatography. From the results of spectral data analysis and comparison with literature, the molecules were identified as 3,6,9‐trihydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐4,4‐dimethyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐1H‐benzogisochromene‐5,10‐dione (1), fusarubin (2), 3‐O‐methylfusarubin (3) and javanicin (4). Compound 1 is reported for the first time from this strain. All the four compounds inhibited the growth of various tested bacterial strains with MIC values in the range of <1 to 256 μg ml−1. Fusarubin showed good activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv with MIC value of 8 μg ml−1, whereas compounds 1, 3 and 4 exhibited moderate activity with MIC values of 256, 64, 32 μg ml−1, respectively.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports significant anti‐tuberculosis potential of bioactive molecules from endophytic F. solani evaluated against the virulent strain of M. tuberculosis. This study sets background towards their synthetic intervention for activity enhancement experiments in anti‐microbial drug discovery programme.
Significance and Impact of the Study
Due to the chemoprofile variation of same endophyte with respect to source plant and ecoregions, further studies are required to explore endophytes of medicinal plants of all unusual biodiversity rich ecoregions for important and or novel bioactive molecules.
A calibration scheme for making oceanographic thermometers traceable to the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) in the range from 1 °C to 32.5 °C was established. The calibration scheme ...involves two phases: a first phase, in which a working reference thermometer is calibrated by comparison against an ITS-90 traceable standard platinum resistance thermometer (SPRT) in a commercial water bath, and a second phase, in which up to 24 oceanographic thermometers are simultaneously calibrated against the calibrated working reference thermometer in an ad hoc previously developed water bath. Finally, an uncertainty budget was made for both calibration phases and resulted in 1.5 mK and 3.5 mK for the first and the second phases, respectively, which satisfy the requirements of the oceanographic community for the accurate monitoring of ocean temperature.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune disease with female preponderance. Anemia is found in 50% of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients. This is a cross sectional case control study with 30 ...female Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients having inflammation associated anemia (Hemoglobin < 10.0 gm/dl) and 30 age matched controls with the aim to measure serum hepcidin and ferritin levels, correlate and study their role as homeostatic regulators of iron metabolism and utility as markers. Serum transferrin, ferritin, iron, total iron binding capacity, hsCRP, liver enzymes and renal parameters were analyzed by using automated analyser. Hepcidin levels were estimated by Sandwich-ELISA method. There was significant decrease in Iron (
p
< 0.0001), Iron Binding capacity (
p
< 0.0001), Transferrin (
p
< 0.0001) in patients, and a significant increase in inflammatory markers: hs-CRP (
p
< 0.0001), ESR (
p
< 0.0001) compared to controls. Significant increase in both Hepcidin (
p
< 0.0001) and Ferritin (
p
< 0.0001) was observed in patients with significant positive correlation (r = 0.711) with each other. Additionally, ferritin and hepcidin significantly positively correlated with hs-CRP and ESR (r = 0.526, 0.735); (r = 0.427, 0.742) respectively. Negative correlation with hemoglobin, iron, total iron binding capacity and transferrin with hepcidin (r = − 0.80, − 0.307, − 0.553, − 0.584) and ferritin (r = −0.722, − 0.22, − 0.654, − 0.728) was observed respectively. On ROC analysis both hepcidin and ferritin has sensitivity of 96.7%, specificity of 100% at cut-off values of 110 and 49 respectively. AUC of hepcidin was 0.993 and ferritin was 0.978. We have established a positive linear correlation between Hepcidin and Ferritin levels in disease activity and the changes correlated with the inflammatory state and anemia in patients, making them important mediators and potential markers of inflammation associated anemia.
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