Can homeopathic arsenic remedy combat arsenic poisoning in humans exposed to groundwater arsenic contamination?: a preliminary report on first human trial

Groundwater arsenic (As) has affected millions of people globally distributed over 20 countries. In parts of West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh alone, over 100 million people are at risk, but supply of As-free water is grossly inadequate. Attempts to remove As by using orthodox medicines have mostly been unsuccessful. A potentized homeopathic remedy, Arsenicum Album-30, was administered to a group of As affected people and thereafter the As contents in their urine and blood were periodically determined. The activities of various toxicity marker enzymes and compounds in the blood, namely aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione, were also periodically monitored up to 3 months. The results are highly encouraging and suggest that the drug can alleviate As poisoning in humans.     

Correlation between surface scaling behavior and surface plasmon resonance properties of semitransparent nanostructured Cu thin films deposited via PLD

The surface scaling behavior of nanostructured Cu thin films, grown on glass substrates by the pulsed laser deposition technique, as a function of the deposition time has been studied using height–height correlation function analysis from atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. The scaling exponents α, β, 1/z and γ of the films were determined from AFM images. The local roughness exponent, α, was found to be ∼0.86 in the early stage of growth of Cu films deposited for 10 minutes while it increased to 0.95 with a longer time of deposition of 20 minutes and beyond this, it was nearly constant. Interface width w (rms roughness) scales with depositing time (t) as ∼ t^β, with the value of the growth exponent, β, of 1.07 ± 0.11 and lateral correlation length ξ following ξ = t^1/z and the value of 1/z = 0.70 ± 0.10. These exponent values convey that the growth dynamics of PLD Cu films can be best described by a combination of local and non-local models under a shadowing mechanism and under highly sticking substrate conditions. From the scaling exponents and power spectral density function, it is concluded that the films follow a mound like growth mechanism which becomes prominent at longer deposition times. All the Cu films exhibited SPR properties where the SPR peak shifts towards red with increasing correlation length (ξ) whereas bandwidth increases initially with ξ and thereafter decreases gradually with ξ.

The surface scaling behavior of nanostructured Cu thin films, grown on glass by the PLD technique, as a function of deposition time has been studied using height–height correlation function analysis from AFM images.     

Redistribution of native defects and photoconductivity in ZnO under pressure

Control and design of native defects in semiconductors are extremely important for industrial applications. Here, we investigated the effect of external hydrostatic pressure on the redistribution of native defects and their impact on structural phase transitions and photoconductivity in ZnO. We investigated morphologically distinct rod- (ZnO-R) and flower-like (ZnO-F) ZnO microstructures where the latter contains several native defects namely, oxygen vacancies, zinc interstitials and oxygen interstitials. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction reveals pressure-induced irreversible phase transformation of ZnO-F with the emergence of a hexagonal metallic Zn phase due to enhanced diffusion of interstitial Zn during decompression. In contrast, ZnO-R undergoes a reversible structural phase transition displaying a large hysteresis during decompression. We evidenced that the pressure-induced strain and inhomogeneous distribution of defects play crucial roles at structural phase transition. Raman spectroscopy and emission studies further confirm that the recovered ZnO-R appears less defective than ZnO-F. It resulted in lower photocurrent gain and slower photoresponse during time-dependent transient photoresponse with the synergistic application of pressure and illumination (ultra-violet). While successive pressure treatments improved the photoconductivity in ZnO-R, ZnO-F failed to recover even its ambient photoresponse. Pressure-induced redistribution of native defects and the optoelectronic response in ZnO might provide new opportunities in promising semiconductors.

The pressure-induced redistribution of native defects and the optoelectronic response in ZnO microstructures might provide new opportunities in promising semiconductors.     

Optical absorption and scattering of bovine cornea, lens, and retina in the near-infrared region

The optical properties of bovine ocular tissues have been determined at laser wavelengths in the near-infrared (NIR) region. The inverse adding doubling (IAD), Kubelka–Munk (KM), and inverse Monte Carlo (IMC) methods were applied to the measured values of the total diffuse transmission, total diffuse reflection, and collimated transmission to determine the optical absorption and scattering coefficients of the bovine cornea, lens and retina from 750 to 1,000 nm using a CW Ti:sapphire laser. The optical properties obtained from these three methods have been compared and are discussed.     

A Novel Anti-PcrV Antibody Providing Enhanced Protection against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Multiple Animal Infection Models

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, particularly in mechanically ventilated patients, and it is the leading cause of death in cystic fibrosis patients. A key virulence factor associated with disease severity is the P. aeruginosa type III secretion system (T3SS), which injects bacterial toxins directly into the cytoplasm of host cells. The PcrV protein, located at the tip of the T3SS injectisome complex, is required for T3SS function and is a well-validated target in animal models of immunoprophylactic strategies targeting P. aeruginosa. In an effort to identify a highly potent and protective monoclonal antibody (MAb) that inhibits the T3SS, we generated and characterized a panel of novel anti-PcrV MAbs. Interestingly, some MAbs exhibiting potent inhibition of T3SS in vitro failed to provide protection in a mouse model of P. aeruginosa infection, suggesting that effective in vivo inhibition of T3SS with anti-PcrV MAbs is epitope dependent. V2L2MD, while not the most potent MAb as assessed by in vitro cytotoxicity inhibition assays, provided strong prophylactic protection in several murine infection models and a postinfection therapeutic model. V2L2MD mediated significantly (P < 0.0001) better in vivo protection than that provided by a comparator antibody, MAb166, a well-characterized anti-PcrV MAb and the progenitor of a clinical candidate, KB001-A. The results described here support further development of a V2L2MD-containing immunotherapeutic and may suggest even greater potential than was previously recognized for the prevention and treatment of P. aeruginosa infections in high-risk populations.     

Hematological and Molecular Findings in the First Case of Hb J-Norfolk [HBA2: c.173G>A (or HBA1] in an Indian Patient

Abstract

We here report a case of a 23-year-old female from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India who was detected to carry the α chain variant Hb J-Norfolk [HBA2: c.173G>A (or HBA1]. She had no clinical symptoms and was referred to us for routine investigations and screening. An abnormal peak was detected on both high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) with a fast-moving band on cellulose acetate electrophoresis. There is no detailed study on the HPLC and CE pattern of this hemoglobin (Hb) variant, and therefore, this study will help in detecting and avoiding missing these variants during routine investigations and population screening. This is the first report of this variant in the Indian population.