Background: An outbreak of Nipah virus infection was confirmed in Kerala, India in May 2018. Five out of 23 cases including the first laboratory-confirmed case were treated at Baby Memorial Hospital ...(BMH), Kozhikode. The study describes the clinical characteristics and epidemiology of the Nipah virus outbreak at Kozhikode during May 2018. Objective: To study the clinical and epidemiological profile of Nipah virus epidemic that occurred in Kerala in May 2018. Methods: A collaborative team of physicians and epidemiologists from BMH, Medical College Hospital (MCH) Kozhikode and from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) conducted this study. The clinical and exposure history and the data on outbreak response were gathered from hospital medical records and through interviewing patient relatives and health workers using questionnaires. Results: It was identified that out of the 23 patients with Nipah virus infection, 21 (91.3%) expired. Out of the 21 patients, 18 tested positive for Nipah virus by Real Time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). It has been found that only the index case was infected in the community from fruit bats. Rest of the cases were due to transmission of the virus at three public hospitals. Median age was 45 years. 65% of them were males. Median incubation period was 9.5 days. Fever (100%), altered sensorium (84.2%), tachycardia (63.1%), hypertension (36.8%), segmental myoclonus (15.7%), segmental sweating (15.7%) and shortness of breath (73.6%) were common features. Mean duration of illness was 6.4 days. Conclusion: The rapid spread of infection uncovered the miserable state of health care system in implementing infection control measures. The case fatality and the socio-economic burden warrant developing appropriate treatments, vaccines and diagnostics.
The asymmetric vinylogous Michael reaction of cyclohexenone/medium and large cyclic enones with 2-silyloxyfuran is still a synthetic challenge. In this report, we have explored 1,4-conjugate addition ...of an enantioselective chiral, primary diamine catalyzed, 2-silyloxy furan to various cyclic enones and β-substituted cyclic enones. The reaction provided syn-Michael adducts (cycloalkane connected γ-butenolide) with good yields, diastereo and enantioselectivities. Furthermore, the synthetic potential of these syn-Michael adducts is demonstrated by 1,4-addition of nucleophiles on the butenolide substructure.
X-linked immunodeficiency with magnesium defect, EBV infection, and neoplasia (XMEN) disease are caused by deficiency of the magnesium transporter 1 (MAGT1) gene. We studied 23 patients with XMEN, 8 ...of whom were EBV naive. We observed lymphadenopathy (LAD), cytopenias, liver disease, cavum septum pellucidum (CSP), and increased CD4-CD8-B220-TCRαβ+ T cells (αβDNTs), in addition to the previously described features of an inverted CD4/CD8 ratio, CD4+ T lymphocytopenia, increased B cells, dysgammaglobulinemia, and decreased expression of the natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) receptor. EBV-associated B cell malignancies occurred frequently in EBV-infected patients. We studied patients with XMEN and patients with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) by deep immunophenotyping (32 immune markers) using time-of-flight mass cytometry (CyTOF). Our analysis revealed that the abundance of 2 populations of naive B cells (CD20+CD27-CD22+IgM+HLA-DR+CXCR5+CXCR4++CD10+CD38+ and CD20+CD27-CD22+IgM+HLA-DR+CXCR5+CXCR4+CD10-CD38-) could differentially classify XMEN, ALPS, and healthy individuals. We also performed glycoproteomics analysis on T lymphocytes and show that XMEN disease is a congenital disorder of glycosylation that affects a restricted subset of glycoproteins. Transfection of MAGT1 mRNA enabled us to rescue proteins with defective glycosylation. Together, these data provide new clinical and pathophysiological foundations with important ramifications for the diagnosis and treatment of XMEN disease.
Diabetes and vision loss Rodrigues, G. R.; Rao, M. V.; Fernandes, M. ...
Diabetic medicine,
January 2021, 2021-01-00, 20210101, Letnik:
38, Številka:
1
Journal Article
A systematic investigation has been carried out to achieve and characterize single-domain cobalt ferrite nanoparticles of high saturation magnetization with least particle size. The samples were ...obtained by adding different contents of chelating agent, viz., polyvinylpyrrolidone, to cobalt ferrite in the ratios 1:1–3:1 and with careful heat treatment using sol–gel technique. The ferrite samples were annealed in the temperature range 400–1100 °C in the intervals of 100 °C for achieving crystallization to the nanoscale. The prepared samples were characterized by XRD and TEM techniques to identify single-phase spinel structure and the particle size. The magnetic properties, viz., saturation magnetization (
M
s
), coercivity (
H
c
) and single-domain nature of the samples, were measured using vibrating sample magnetometer. The obtained results have been discussed in detail as a function of the content of chelating agent. The analysis indicated the developed samples are of single-domain cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with a critical size of 12.8 nm, possess high saturation magnetization (71.9 emu/g) and high coercivity (2744 Oe).
Mast cells (MCs) are critical components of the innate immune system and important for host defense, allergy, autoimmunity, tissue regeneration and tumor progression. Dysregulated MC development ...leads to systemic mastocytosis (SM), a clinically variable but often devastating family of hematologic disorders. Here we report that induced expression of Lin28, a heterochronic gene and pluripotency factor implicated in driving a fetal hematopoietic program, caused MC accumulation in adult mice in target organs such as the skin and peritoneal cavity. In vitro assays revealed a skewing of myeloid commitment in LIN28B-expressing hematopoietic progenitors, with increased levels of LIN28B in common myeloid and basophil-MC progenitors altering gene expression patterns to favor cell fate choices that enhanced MC specification. In addition, LIN28B-induced MCs appeared phenotypically and functionally immature, and in vitro assays suggested a slowing of MC terminal differentiation in the context of LIN28B upregulation. Finally, interrogation of human MC leukemia samples revealed upregulation of LIN28B in abnormal MCs from patients with SM. This work identifies Lin28 as a novel regulator of innate immune function and a new protein of interest in MC disease.
This article compares the solid phase extraction (SPE) and coprecipitative preconcentration of cadmium and lead from dilute aqueous solutions as a function of pH and weight of chelating agent. SPE ...enriches cadmium and lead over a wider pH range (6.0–8.0) and requires lower weight of DBQ chelate embedded benzophenone. Among the quinoline-8-ol and its dihaloderivatives, DBQ embedded benzophenone allows quantitative enrichment over a wide pH range (6.0–8.0) for both cadmium and lead unlike DCQ (∼6.5 for Cd and 6.5–7.0 for Pb), DBQ was preferred. The calibration plots were rectilinear over the concentration range of 0.1–50 and 2.5–200
μg
l
−1 of cadmium and lead with detection limits of 0.1 and 2.0
μg
l
−1, respectively, which are 400 times lower than the direct FAAS method. The precision of the developed procedure is good as it provides relative standard deviation values of 2.20 and 2.45% during five replicate determinations of 2 and 25
μg
l
−1 of cadmium and lead, respectively. The accuracy of the developed procedure was tested by analyzing certified reference materials (CRM's) of soil and marine sediment samples supplied by IAEA, Italy and NRC, Canada, respectively. Furthermore, the developed procedure has been successfully used for the speciative determination of cadmium and lead in soil samples collected from the vicinity of industries in India.
•Bioinoculants efficiency on recalcitrant crop residues decomposition was attempted.•Compost efficacy was evaluated on ashwagandha and bixa both in on station and on farm.•Earthworms are cost ...effective bio inoculants for recycling of recalcitrant crop residues.•Vermicompost of bixa shell residues is a valuable source of nutrient.•Bio inoculant compost enhances crop productivity and quality of bixa and ashwagandha.
Efforts were made to test for efficient composting methods of bixa (Bixa orellana L.) shell residues and assess their performance as soil amendment for valuable crop production. Five bioinoculants: earthworms (T1), Trichoderma (T2), Trichoderma+Phanerochaete (T3), effective microorganisms (EM) (T4) and biodynamic preparations (T5) were used in the study. The control consisted of composting without bioinoculants (T6). Bixa capsule shells were mixed with cow dung in 3:1 (w:w) proportion and the mixture was composted using the bioinoculants. The performance of the resulting composts was tested by using them as soil amendment with NPK fertilizers and cattle manure as controls and growing two valuable crops: Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) and bixa. The decomposition period was reduced by 85 days when earthworms and EM were used as compared to uninoculated composting. Composting with bioinoculants resulted in an increase in total N (from 47.5% to 161%), available P (from 36% to 150%), exchangeable K (from 25% to 88%) and calcium (from 19.4% to 94.4%). T1, T3 and T4 recorded larger nutrient content. Furthermore, these composts increased root yield (from 59% to 94%) and withanolide content (from 24% to 100%) in Ashwagandha and bixin content in bixa (22% and 28% over farmers practice in 3 and 4 year age plantations, respectively). The increased micro and macronutrient contents in the bioinoculated compost might be responsible for the higher yield and quality. Thus, earthworms, EM and Trichoderma+Phanerochaete were effective bioinoculants for the preparation of nutrient rich compost from bixa capsule shells. Furthermore, on farm research revealed that vermicomposting is an efficient, easy and fast method of composting and that the final product is a potential plant nutrient source for sustainable crop production. The on farm research shows the practical value of composting recalcitrant bixa shells for satisfactory nutrient recycling and for the restoration of fragile agroecosystems.
Synthetic analogues of naturally occurring triterpenoids; glycyrrhetinic acid, arjunolic acid, and boswellic acids, by modification of A-ring with a cyano- and enone-functionality, have been ...reported. A novel method of synthesis of α-cyanoenones from isoxazoles is reported. Bioassays using primary mouse macrophages and tumor cell lines indicate potent anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities associated with cyano-enones of boswellic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid.
Display omitted Modified triterpenes, depicted above, exhibits potent cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities.
In view of the extreme toxicity of uranium and consequent stringent limits fixed by WHO and various national governments, it is essential to monitor the uranium content in the environment which is at ...ultratrace levels. Conventional ionophore based ion selective electrodes, barring a few, have limitations in terms of sensitivity and selectivity for the above mentioned purpose. We now propose an ion imprinted polymer (biomimetic) based potentiometric sensor by dispersing the uranyl ion imprinted polymer particles in 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether (plasticizer), which is embedded in polyvinyl chloride matrix. The sensor responds to uranyl ion over a wide concentration range of 2.0
×
10
−8 to 1.0
×
10
−2
M. The limit of detection was 2.0
×
10
−8
M. It showed a good selectivity for uranyl ion over alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal cations. The sensor is successfully tested for the monitoring of toxic uranium in tap and sea water samples.
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