Foreign body in ocular coats causing a pseudo optic nerve head shadow

Small intraocular foreign body in the outer coats of the eye may be wrongly interpreted as optic nerve head on ultrasound imaging. Such errors can be avoided by performing multiple sonography scans in different axes.     

Cluster of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infections in Iran, 2014

During January 2013–August 2014, a total of 1,800 patients in Iran who had respiratory illness were tested for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. A cluster of 5 cases occurred in Kerman Province during May–July 2014, but virus transmission routes for some infections were unclear.     

Ultra-wide field retinal imaging: A wider clinical perspective

The peripheral retina is affected in a variety of retinal disorders. Traditional fundus cameras capture only a part of the fundus even when montaging techniques are used. Ultra-wide field imaging enables us to delve into the retinal periphery in greater detail. It not only facilitates assessing color images of the fundus, but also fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, fundus autofluorescence, and red and green free images. In this review, a literature search using the keywords “ultra-widefield imaging”, “widefield imaging”, and “peripheral retinal imaging” in English and non-English languages was done and the relevant articles were included. Ultra-wide field imaging has made new observations in the normal population as well as in eyes with retinal disorders including vascular diseases, degenerative diseases, uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, retinal and choroidal tumors and hereditary retinal dystrophies. This review aims to describe the utility of ultra-wide field imaging in various retinal disorders.     

Organic template-assisted green synthesis of CoMoO4 nanomaterials for the investigation of energy storage properties

Transitional metal oxide nanomaterials are considered to be potential electrode materials for supercapacitors. Therefore, in the past few decades, huge efforts have been devoted towards the sustainable synthesis of metal oxide nanomaterials. Herein, we report a synergistic approach to synthesize spherical-shaped CoMoO₄ electrode materials using an inorganic–organic template via the hydrothermal route. As per the synthesis strategy, the precursor solution was reacted with the organic compounds of E. cognata to tailor the surface chemistry and morphology of CoMoO₄ by organic species. The modified CoMoO₄ nanomaterials revealed a particle size of 23 nm by X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the synthesized material was scrutinized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The optical band gap energy of 3.6 eV was calculated by a Tauc plot. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified cyclobutanol (C₄H₈O) and octodrine (C₈H₁₉N) as the major stabilizing agents of the CoMoO₄ nanomaterial. Finally, it was revealed that the bioorganic framework-derived CoMoO₄ electrode exhibited a capacitance of 294 F g⁻¹ by cyclic voltammetry with a maximum energy density of 7.3 W h kg⁻¹ and power density of 7227.525 W kg⁻¹. Consequently, the nanofeatures and organic compounds of E. cognata were found to enhance the electrochemical behaviour of the CoMoO₄-fabricated electrode towards supercapacitor applications.

Transitional metal oxide nanomaterials are considered to be potential electrode materials for supercapacitors.     

New tick defensin isoform and antimicrobial gene expression in response to Rickettsia montanensis challenge

Recent studies aimed at elucidating the rickettsia-tick interaction have discovered that the spotted fever group rickettsia Rickettsia montanensis, a relative of R. rickettsii, the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, induces differential gene expression patterns in the ovaries of the hard tick Dermacentor variabilis. Here we describe a new defensin isoform, defensin-2, and the expression patterns of genes for three antimicrobials, defensin-1 (vsnA1), defensin-2, and lysozyme, in the midguts and fat bodies of D. variabilis ticks that were challenged with R. montanensis. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses of the primary structure of defensin-2 support its role as an antimicrobial. The tissue distributions of the three antimicrobials, especially the two D. variabilis defensin isoforms, are markedly different, illustrating the immunocompetence of the many tissues that R. montanensis presumably invades once acquired by the tick. Antimicrobial gene expression patterns in R. montanensis-challenged ticks suggest that antimicrobial genes play a role during the acquisition-invasion stages in the tick.