Genome Guided Bioprospecting of Extremely Halophilic Haloferax sp. AS1 for CAZymes,Bioremediation and Study Metabolic Versatility

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - An extremely halophilic archaeon was isolated from brine sample collected from a salt pan and designated as...     

Orbital and adnexal amyloidosis: Thirty years experience at a tertiary eye care center

Purpose:The aim of this work was to study the clinical presentation, management and outcomes of orbital and adnexal amyloidosis.Methods:This retrospective analysis included all the patients diagnosed with orbital and adnexal amyloidosis between January 1990 and December 2019. Positive staining with Congo Red and apple-green birefringence on polarized light microscopy established the diagnosis. Data analyzed included demographic profile, varied presentations, management, and outcome.Results:Thirty-three eyes of 26 patients were included. The male:female ratio was 1:1. The mean age of the study population was 42.6 ± 16 years. The median duration of symptoms was two years. Unilateral involvement was seen in 19 eyes (right = 11, left = 8). The most common presenting feature was acquired ptosis. Eyelid was the most commonly affected site followed by orbit and conjunctiva. Two patients had systemic involvement in the form of multiple myeloma and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Complete excision was done in seven (26.9%) cases while 19 (73.1%) cases underwent debulking. Three patients underwent ptosis surgery. The median duration of follow-up was 1.5 years. Three cases had recurrence and underwent repeat surgery.Conclusion:Orbit and adnexa is a rare site for amyloidosis. It is usually localized; however it can occur as a part of systemic amyloidosis. Eyelid is the most common site of involvement and patients usually present as eyelid mass or ptosis. Complete excision is difficult and most of the patients usually undergo debulking surgery. All patients should undergo screening for systemic amyloidosis     

Meta-Analysis of the Association between Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and Colorectal Cancer

The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was extensively used to examine the inflammatory potential of diet related to colorectal cancer (CRC). This meta-analysis aimed to update the evidence of the association between the DII and CRC across various culture-specific dietary patterns. Literature search was performed through online databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and EBSCOHost). Observational studies exploring the association between the DII and CRC, published between 2017 and 2021, were included. The risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were separately computed for 12 studies comparing the highest and lowest DII scores and for 3 studies that presented continuous DII scores. A high DII score was associated with a higher risk of CRC (RR:1.16; 95% CI, 1.05–1.27). In the subgroup analysis, significant associations were seen in cohort design (RR: 1.24; 95% CI, 1.06–1.44), those lasting for 10 years or longer (RR: 2.95; 95% CI, 2.47–3.52), and in adjustment factor for physical activity (RR: 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07–1.20). An increase of one point in the DII score elevates the risk of CRC by 1.34 (95% CI: 1.15–1.55) times. The findings call for standardized measurement of the inflammatory potential of diet in future studies to enable the establishment of global guidelines for CRC prevention.     

The Effect of Roughness in Absorbing Materials on Solar Air Heater Performance

Artificial roughness on the absorber of the solar air heater (SAH) is considered to be the best passive technology for performance improvement. The roughened SAHs perform better in comparison to conventional SAHs under the same operational conditions, with some penalty of higher pumping power requirements. Thermo-hydraulic performance, based on effective efficiency, is much more appropriate to design roughened SAH, as it considers both the requirement of pumping power and useful heat gain. The shape, size, and arrangement of artificial roughness are the most important factors for the performance optimization of SAHs. The parameters of artificial roughness and operating parameters, such as the Reynolds number (Re), temperature rise parameter (ΔT/I) and insolation (I) show a combined effect on the performance of SAH. In this case study, various performance parameters of SAH have been evaluated to show the effect of distinct artificial roughness, investigated previously. Therefore, thermal efficiency, thermal efficiency improvement factor (TEIF) and the effective efficiency of various roughened absorbers of SAH have been predicted. As a result, thermal and effective efficiencies strongly depend on the roughness parameter, Re and ΔT/I. Staggered, broken arc hybrid-rib roughness shows a higher value of TEIF, thermal and effective efficiencies consistently among all other distinct roughness geometries for the ascending values of ΔT/I. This roughness shows the maximum value of effective efficiency equals 74.63% at a ΔT/I = 0.01 K·m²/W. The unique combination of parameters p/e = 10, e/D_h = 0.043 and α = 60° are observed for best performance at a ΔT/I higher than 0.00789 K·m²/W.     

Pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic promise of phytochemicals and nanocarriers based drug delivery against radiotherapy-induced neurotoxic manifestations

Radiotherapy is one of the extensively used therapeutic modalities in glioblastoma and other types of cancers. Radiotherapy is either used as a first-line approach or combined with pharmacotherapy or surgery to manage and treat cancer. Although the use of radiotherapy significantly increased the survival time of patients, but its use has been reported with marked neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction that eventually reduced the quality of life of patients. Based on the preclinical and clinical investigations, the profound role of increased oxidative stress, nuclear translocation of NF-kB, production of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-β, increased level of MMPs, increased apoptosis, reduced angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and histological aberrations in CA1, CA2, CA3 and DG region of the hippocampus have been reported. Various pharmacotherapeutic drugs are being used as an adjuvant to counteract this neurotoxic manifestation. Still, most of these drugs suffer from systemic adverse effect, causes interference to ongoing chemotherapy, and exhibit pharmacokinetic limitations in crossing the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, various phytoconstituents, their nano carrier-based drug delivery systems and miRNAs have been explored to overcome the aforementioned limitations. The present review is focused on the mechanism and evidence of radiotherapy-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction, pathological and molecular changes in the brain homeostasis, available adjuvants, their limitations. Additionally, the potential role and mechanism of neuroprotection of various nanocarrier based natural products and miRNAs have been discussed.     

A glued technique of external dacryocystorhinostomy

Purpose:Fibrin glue was used for anastomosis of lacrimal sac and nasal mucosal flaps and was compared with the conventional suture technique in external dacryocystorhinostomy.Methods:A prospective interventional randomized control study in which 50 consecutive patients of primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO) were equally allocated into two groups. The case group underwent glued technique of external dacryocystorhinostomy (Ext DCR) in which fibrin glue was used for the apposition of the anterior lacrimal sac and nasal mucosal flaps. In the control group, conventional technique of Ext DCR was used to suture the flaps. Functional success was assessed by improvement in epiphora and fluorescein dye disappearance test (FDDT), whereas anatomical success was assessed by lacrimal irrigation and endoscopic view of the osteotomy site.Results:The anatomical success in both the groups was 92%, whereas the functional success was 92% in the case group and 88% in the control group. The difference in the success rates between the two groups was statistically non-significant.Conclusion:Glued technique of Ext DCR is a simple and easy alternative to suturing of the flaps. Though the final outcome was comparable in both the groups, glue can be especially useful in uncooperative cases, in cases of excessive bleeding, or in situations where the flaps are very thin or have become friable.     

Modern computational intelligence based drug repurposing for diabetes epidemic

Background and aimObjectives are to explore recent advances in discovery of new antidiabetic agents using repurposing strategies and to discuss modern technologies used for drug repurposing highlighting diabetic specific web portal.MethodsRecent literature were studied and analyzed from various sources such as Scopus, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore databases.ResultsDrugs like Niclosamideethanolamine, Methazolamide, Diacerein, Berberine, Clobetasol, etc. with possibility of repurposing to curb diabetes can be potential late-stage clinical candidates, providing access to information on pharmacology, formulation, and probable toxicity if any.ConclusionsWith collaboration of artificial intelligence (AI) with pharmacology, the efficiency of drug repurposing can improve significantly.     

Bacterial Mediated Rapid and Facile Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Their Antimicrobial Efficacy against Pathogenic Microorganisms

In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), biosynthesized using culture supernatant of bacterial strain Paenarthrobacter nicotinovorans MAHUQ-43, were characterized and their antimicrobial activity was investigated against both Gram-positive Bacillus cereus and Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bacterial-mediated synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer, field emission-transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The UV-Vis spectral analysis showed the absorption maxima at 466 nm which assured the synthesis of AgNPs. The FE-TEM analysis revealed the spherical shape of nanoparticles with the size range from 13 to 27 nm. The EDX and XRD analysis ensured the crystalline nature of biosynthesized AgNPs. The FTIR analysis revealed the involvement of different biomolecules for the synthesis of AgNPs as reducing and capping agents. The bacterial-mediated synthesized AgNPs inhibited the growth of pathogenic strains B. cereus and P. aeruginosa and developed a clear zone of inhibition (ZOI). The MIC and MBC for both pathogens were 12.5 µg/mL and 25 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the synthesized AgNPs can destroy the outer membrane and alter the cell morphology of treated pathogens, leading to the death of cells. This study concludes the eco-friendly, facile and rapid synthesis of AgNPs using P. nicotinovorans MAHUQ-43 and synthesized AgNPs showed excellent antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens.