The study was aimed to evaluate the performance of a newly developed spectroscopy-based non-invasive and noncontact device (SAMIRA) for the simultaneous measurement of hemoglobin, bilirubin and ...oxygen saturation as an alternative to the invasive biochemical method of blood sampling. The accuracy of the device was assessed in 4318 neonates having incidences of either anemia, jaundice, or hypoxia. Transcutaneous bilirubin, hemoglobin and blood saturation values were obtained by the newly developed instrument which was corroborated with the biochemical blood tests by expert clinicians. The instrument is trained using Artificial Neural Network Analysis to increase the acceptability of the data. The artificial intelligence incorporated within the instrument determines the disease condition of the neonate. The Pearson's correlation coefficient, r was found to be 0.987 for hemoglobin estimation and 0.988 for bilirubin and blood gas saturation respectively. The bias and the limits of agreement for the measurement of all the three parameters were within the clinically acceptance limit.
Snake venom C-type lectins (Snaclecs) display anticoagulant and platelet-modulating activities; however, their interaction with the critical components of blood coagulation factors was unknown. ...Computational analysis revealed that Echicetin (Snaclec from Echis carinatus venom) interacted with heavy chain of thrombin, and heavy and light chains of factor Xa (FXa). Based on FXa and thrombin binding regions of Echicetin, the two synthetic peptides (1A and 1B) were designed. The in silico binding studies of the peptides with thrombin and FXa showed that peptide 1B interacted with both heavy and light chains of thrombin and, peptide 1A interacted with only heavy chain of thrombin. Similarly, peptide 1B interacted with both heavy and light chains of FXa; however, peptide 1A interacted only with heavy chain of FXa. Alanine screening predicted the hot-spots residues for peptide 1A (Aspartic acid6, Valine8, Valine9, and Tyrosine17 with FXa, and Isoleucine14, Lysine15 with thrombin) and peptide 1B (Valine16 with FXa). Spectrofluorometric interaction study showed a lower Kd value for peptide 1B binding with both FXa and thrombin than peptide 1A, indicating higher binding strength of the former peptide. The circular dichroism spectroscopy also established the interaction between thrombin and the custom peptides. The in vitro study demonstrated higher anticoagulant activity of peptide 1B than peptide 1A due to higher inhibition of thrombin and FXa. Inhibition of anticoagulant activity of the peptides by respective anti-peptide antibodies corroborates our hypothesis that peptides 1A and 1B represent the anticoagulant regions of Echicetin and may be developed as antithrombotic peptide drug prototypes.
Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Cobalt (Co) although, an essential element playing a key role in several physiological and biological processes, can transform into a potential toxin when present in higher amounts or in certain ...chemical forms. The increasing usage of transition metals in industries, agriculture, medicines and technology has led to an alarming rise in cobalt poisoning cases. Exposure to cobalt can cause several health hazards including neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, etc. Cobalt may interact with several proteins in the cellular milieu, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby triggering apoptosis of the neural cells via DNA damage. The most common method of removal of such metals from the body is by the use of metal chelators. In this study, we report a facile strategy for the clearance of Co (II) from the physiological milieu using citrate functionalized Mn3O4 NPs (C-Mn3O4 NPs). The chelation ability of C-Mn3O4 NPs has been evaluated using steady state and pico-second resolved optical spectroscopy. Our studies reveal that C-Mn3O4 NPs form a stable complex with cobalt ions, thereby reducing the ability of Co2+ to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) via Fenton like reaction and hence function as a novel nanotherapeutic for the detoxification of cobalt in the human system.
•A cheaper synthesis and structural analysis of catalyst to degrade dye is reported.•pH-dependent catalytic activity of CoFe2O4 for cationic & anionic dyes degradation.•Charges on CoFe2O4 were ...determined by zetapotential evaluation during DLS studies.•A correlation between charges of nanoparticle and dyes molecules in catalysis.
This work reports the application of non-functionalized cobalt ferrite (CF) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as a fast dye removing agent. Herein, we have synthesized the CF MNPs by chemical co-precipitation method. The photocatalytic activity is demonstrated with examples of cationic and anionic dyes depending on different pH. The synthesized CF MNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement (BET) to confirm the structural, morphological, magnetic property and surface area. We have shown its high efficiency in removal of both types of ionic dyes with moderate first order reaction rate under different pH. Because of its magnetic property it is easy to separate from the reaction mixture by magnetic separation method after its use, which is an added advantage in case of recycling. From the application point of view, these MNPs may be useful in promising industrial usage purpose because of its high stability, fast dye removal efficiency and low-cost.
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In this study we have synthesized copper ferrite magnetic nanoparticles, a transition metal based material by wet chemical method. The nanoparticles are mesoporous in nature and have shown very good ...catalytic property in reduction of 4-nitro phenol (4-NP) to 4-amino phenol (4-AP) with high rate constant and low activation energy value. Detailed characterization of the nanoparticles was done using XRD, EDAX, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, BET, VSM and TG/DTA to confirm its structural, morphological, magnetic and thermal properties. We have shown the reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP by a non-functionalized copper ferrite nano catalyst (CFNC), occurs at higher rate following first order reaction kinetics in respect of 4-NP, which indicates its high efficiency as catalyst compared to other catalyst. Because of its magnetic property, it can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by magnetic separation method after its use as catalyst. It is also shown; this catalyst can be reused many times without having any significant decay in its catalytic quality. From the applicative point of view, this catalyst may be useful in industrial application because of its high stability, greater catalytic efficiency and cost effectiveness.
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•Magnetic copper-ferrite catalyst is newly used for reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.•Magnetic separation method will separate the catalyst easily from reaction-mixture.•Catalyst used here is highly stable and very efficient.•It can be reused many times without any significant decay in quality.•This catalyst causes increase in rate constant & decrease in activation energy.
Arsenic (As), a major groundwater contaminant has gained attention as a surface water pollutant, due to its deposition on agricultural fields and nearby waterbodies as a result of over usage of ...groundwater. Several plants have the unique ability to phyto-remediate and accumulate As but differ in their potential. The present study focuses on removal of arsenic by Pistia stratiotes exposed to 10, 50, 100, and 200 ppb of As (As
2
O
3
), and simultaneous anti-oxidative changes in plants facilitating arsenic tolerance in these aquatic macrophytes. The removal percentage rate of As was found to decrease with the increase in initial As levels in the hydroponic solution over an experimental period of 28 days. The maximum removal percentage was obtained at the 10 ppb As level (61.42%). Changes in concentration of anti-oxidative enzymes, i.e., catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase, were measured over intervals of 7 days. Significant changes were observed in activities of catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase with highest catalase activity on 28th day at 200 ppb As concentration. Ascorbate peroxidase activity varied over 28-day period with increased activity from seventh day. Activity of guaiacol peroxidase showed the same trend as ascorbate peroxidase. The present research work highlights the assessment of anti-oxidative enzymatic changes in Pistia stratiotes due to As exposure and uptake.
Background: Sleep is essential for physical and psychological development of children as well as adolescents. Poor sleep has been noted to lead to poor diet, obesity, stunted growth, mental health ...issues, and substance abuse. Despite the knowledge regarding the importance of sufficient sleep, the prevalence of insufficient sleep has been noted to increase among children and adolescents. Objective and Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of poor sleep quality among adolescents of an urban resettlement colony and to evaluate the association of poor sleep quality with the correlates. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted including 620 adolescents aged 10-19 years, in an Urban Resettlement Colony, Dakshinpuri Extension, New Delhi. A self-reported interview was conducted with the pretested, semi-structured interview schedule. The interview focused on sociodemographic variable, sleep quality using Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Perceived stress scale, screen time, and anthropometric measurements. Results: The mean of Pittsburgh sleep quality index total score was 2.3 (standard deviation = 1.9). Among the adolescents, 7.3% of them were found to be poor sleepers. Poor sleep quality was observed to be higher during school days as compared to vacation (9.3%, 6.5%, respectively). Adolescents of age group equal to and > 15 years have higher odds of having poor sleep quality than those younger than 15 years of age (odds ratio = 4.9; 95% confidence interval: 2.2, 10.8). Conclusion: Significant difference in sleep duration was noted among adolescents of age ≥15 years as compared to the younger group in the present study.
Background: There is a need for training teachers in first aid skills as they are the primary contact for most commonly encountered emergency situations in school scenario. The objective of the study ...was to assess the feasibility of a training program on first aid and basic life support skills among teachers of a school in south Delhi, India.Methods: We identified topics and prepared a training module (6-hour duration on a single day) for teachers and conducted the training in the Centre for Community Medicine department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.Results: 40 teachers were involved in this study. The mean (SD) score before and after the training was 5.55 (1.88) and 12.4 (1.66) respectively. A significant improvement in the scores pertaining to knowledge on first aid skill was observed after the training (p<0.01).Conclusions: We conclude that training program is feasible and acceptable by teachers and improves their immediate knowledge and skills.
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