A trinuclear Zn (II) schiff base dicyanamide complex attenuates bacterial biofilm formation by ROS generation and membrane damage and exhibits anticancer activity.

A trinuclear Zn (II) complex, [(ZnL{N(CN)2})2Zn], termed complex 1 has been synthesized by the reaction of an aqueous solution of sodium dicyanamide to the methanolic solution of Zn (CH3COO)2, 2H2O and corresponding Schiff base (H2L) which is derived from 1:2 condensation of 1, 4 butane diamine with 3-ethoxy salicylaldehyde. Complex 1 is characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV and Single X-ray diffraction study. Drug resistance is a growing global public health concern that has prompted researchers to look into advanced alternative treatment modalities. In this context, complex 1 has shown promising antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Complex 1 attenuated Staphylococcal biofilm formation by reducing several virulence factors including the formation of extracellular polysaccharide matrix, slime, haemolysin, staphyloxanthin, auto-aggregation, cell surface hydrophobicity, and motility. Notably, complex 1 mechanistically potentiated Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation within the bacterial cells, leading to the damage of bacterial cell membrane followed by DNA leakage and thereby impeding the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, complex 1 significantly exhibited anticancer activity by reducing the growth of prostate adenocarcinoma cells. It obstructed the migration of cancer cells by potentiating apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. In summary, complex 1 could act as a potent candidate for the generation of novel antibacterial, antibiofilm as well as anticancer treatment regimens for the management of drug-resistant biofilm-mediated Staphylococcus aureus infection and lethal prostate malignancy.

Phonon-Engineered Hard-Carbon Nanoflorets Achieving Rapid and Efficient Solar-Thermal Based Water Evaporation and Space-Heating.

Generation and utilization of green heat produced from solar energy demand broadband absorbers with the elusive combination of strong phonon-driven photon thermalization and, contrastingly, weak phonon-lattice thermal conductivity. Here, we report a new class of porous, nanostructured hard-carbon florets (NCFs) consisting of isotropically assembled conical microcavities for greater light entrapment and efficient broad-band absorption (95% over 250-2500 nm). Resembling marigolds, the NCF exhibits short-range graphitic order that promotes instantaneous and efficient solar-thermal conversion (ηSTC = 87%) while exhibiting long-range intrinsic disorder providing low thermal conductivity (1.5 W m-1 K-1) to minimize thermal loss (13%). Solution processable NCF coatings on arbitrarily substrates (filter paper, terracotta, Cu and Al tubes) generate surface temperature of 400 ± 2 K and exhibit high thermal effusance (519 W s0.5 m-2 K-1) to achieve highest combination of (a) rate of solar-driven interfacial water evaporation (Rw = 5.4 kg m-2 h-1, 2 sun), (b) solar-vapor conversion efficiency (ηSVC = 186%), and (c) ηSTC (87%) among known materials. Such robust performance is retained for beyond 30 days of continuous operation and under different solar power (1 sun to 5 sun). Furthermore, active space heating (outlet air temperature = 346 ± 3 K) using NCF coatings is demonstrated.

A mononuclear N,N,N,O donor schiff base Cu(II) complex inhibits bacterial biofilm formation and promotes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer cells.

In this work, we report a distorted square pyramidal mononuclear copper(II) complex [Cu(L)(NCS)] (1) which was obtained by the reaction of the aqueous solution of ammonium thiocyanate to a methanolic solution of copper nitrate trihydrate and corresponding Schiff-base ligands. Schiff bases, HL (C12H19N3O) act as a tetradentate Schiff base, derived from 1:1 condensation of o-hydroxyacetophenone and diethylenetriamine. The synthesized complex has been successfully characterized based on elemental analysis and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The structure of complex 1 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. In our study, we investigated synthesis, structural characterization, antimicrobial, anti-biofilm, and anti-cancer activity, and plausible mechanism of action of a novel mononuclear copper(II) schiff base complex. Increasing microbial resistance to several commercially available or traditional antimicrobial compounds has become a major global health concern at present time. The mononuclear copper(II) complex exhibited potential antibacterial activity against two strains of the gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The copper compound dependent damage of bacterial cell membrane and inhibition of bacterial biofilm formation were also identified. Moreover, complex 1 inhibited prostate cancer cell growth, and migration by inducing apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Based on the results, we are suggesting our novel mononuclear copper(II) compound as a potential candidate for the development of new antibacterial and anti-cancer drugs.

Critical review on uranium and arsenic content and their chemical mobilization in groundwater: A case study of the Malwa region Punjab, India.

The presence of pollutants like uranium and arsenic in the groundwater can have a terrible impact on people's health (both radiologically and toxicologically) and their economic conditions. Their infiltration into groundwater can occur through geochemical reactions, natural mineral deposits, mining and ore processing. Governments and scientists are working to address these issues, and significant progress has been achieved, but it's challenging to deal with and mitigate without adequately understanding the different chemical processes and the mobilization mechanism of these hazardous chemicals. Most of the articles and reviews have focused on the particular form of contaminants and specific sources of pollution, such as fertilizers. However, no literature report exists explaining why particular forms appear and the possible basis of their chemical origins. Hence, in this review, we tried to answer the various questions by devising a hypothetical model and chemical schematic flowcharts for the chemical mobilization of arsenic and uranium in groundwater. An effort has been made to explain how chemical seepage and excessive groundwater use resulted in the change in aquifers' chemistry, as evidenced by their physicochemical parameters and heavy metal analysis. Many technological advancements have taken place to mitigate these issues. Still, in low-middle-income countries, especially in the Malwa region of Punjab, also known as Punjab's cancer belt, paying a high amount for installing and maintaining these technologies is an unviable option. In addition to working to improve people's access to sanitary facilities and clean water to drink, the policy-level intervention would focus on increasing community awareness and continued research on developing better and more economical technologies. Our designed model/chemical flowcharts will help policymakers and researchers better understand the problems and alleviate their effects. Moreover, these models can be utilized in other parts of the globe where similar questions exist. This article emphasises the value of understanding the intricate issue of groundwater management through a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental approach.

Universality in bio-rhythms: A perspective from nonlinear dynamics.

Bio-rhythms are ubiquitous in all living organisms. A prototypical bio-rhythm originates from the chemical oscillation of intermediates or metabolites around the steady state of a thermodynamically open bio-chemical reaction network with autocatalysis and feedback and is often described by minimal kinetics with two state variables. It has been shown that notwithstanding the diverse nature of the underlying bio-chemical and biophysical processes, the associated kinetic equations can be mapped into the universal form of the Lie´nard equation which admits of mono-rhythmic and bi-rhythmic solutions. Several examples of bio-kinetic schemes are examined to illustrate this universality.

Transient performance analysis of a novel design of portable magnetic refrigeration system.

The widely used ice chamber-based cold storage for the transportation and storage of vaccines has several disadvantages, including uncontrolled overall temperature, water accumulation, and frequent ice pack renewal. Therefore, in this work, we numerically studied a novel vaccine storage system by coupling magnetic refrigeration and ice packs developed by conserving the advantages of an ice-based system. A two-dimensional numerical model is developed to analyze the magnetohydrodynamic natural convection in the storage chamber. Gadolinium of 0.08 kg is used to produce a cooling power of 31.514 W and a coefficient of performance of 1.3. With the constant heat leaked of 0.828 W into the system with dimensions of (0.1 × 0.1) m, the average life of the ice pack of 0.75 kg is 1.03 h. By introducing the magnetocaloric effect, the life of the same ice pack can be infinite with no load. The dynamic mode decomposition analysis reveals that the most dominant fluid interaction occurs between the cooled gadolinium plate and the adjacent fluid, resulting in efficient cooling of the air chamber. The developed vaccine chamber design will significantly improve the existing ice pack system with a nominal increase in cost and system weight.

Pulmonary Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: In half of the individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), over the course of the disease, pulmonary involvement occurs frequently and is one of the parts in the array of presenting symptoms. But the published research and information on SLE have historically concentrated on renal, central nervous system (CNS), and dermatological manifestations, while the pulmonary effects of SLE have received very less attention. OBJECTIVE: To know the extent and pattern of pulmonary involvement in SLE patients in a tertiary care hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 70 diagnosed SLE [who fulfilled the revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for the classification of SLE] patients attending a tertiary care center. Seventy diagnosed SLE patients who met the updated ACR criteria for the classification of SLE and were enrolled in a tertiary care facility in West Bengal participated in a cross-sectional observational study. After informed consent, clinical examinations, general survey, respiratory examination, cardiovascular examination, and relevant investigations [chest X-ray, pulmonary function test, echocardiography and electrocardiography, and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)/chest computed tomography (CT) scan] were performed. RESULTS: The majority of the study subjects belonged to the 21-30 years of age-group (45.7%) and were females. Most of the study subjects were treatment-naïve as they were newly diagnosed. Among the chief presenting complaints, the most common was cough followed by dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain. Chest X-rays showed pleural pathology in 37% of study subjects and pulmonary function tests were found to have a restrictive pattern in 4.3%. Echocardiography documented that 19.6% had pulmonary artery hypertension. HRCT revealed that 19.4% of subjects had definitive findings of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). CONCLUSION: A substantial contributor to morbidity and death, SLE is a potentially fatal, commonly debilitating autoimmune illness with pulmonary symptoms. Cough was the most common presenting complaint, and the most common radiological abnormality detected was pleural effusion. Spirometry revealed, as expected, a restrictive pattern in most of the cases. Around 29% of cases revealed features suggestive of or confirmatory evidence for intestinal lung disease. As a whole, the prevalence of lung involvement in SLE in the study was 67%. But this being a study with only 70 participants, a further longitudinal is recommended to study disease activity correlation with the incidence of early pulmonary involvement in SLE disease course.

Study of the interactions of sneezing droplets with particulate matter in a polluted environment.

We have performed a three-dimensional numerical simulation to determine the effect of local atmospheric pollution level on the spreading characteristics of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus through ejected droplets during sneezing and coughing in an open space. Utilizing a finite volume-based numerical method, we have performed computations for various ranges of droplet diameters and sneezing speeds. The interactions between the droplets and the suspended particles are considered by taking both hydrophobic and hydrophilic wettability characteristics into account. Our computational results show that the virus-containing droplets partially affect aerosols during the path of their transmission. With the progression of time, the droplet distribution shows an asymmetric pattern. The maximum dispersion of these droplets is found for higher sneezing velocities. The droplets with a diameter of 50 µm travel a larger distance than the larger diameter droplets. We have found that an aerosol with hydrophilic wettability undergoes complete wetting by the disease-containing droplets and therefore is conducive to disease propagation. The droplet engagement duration with aerosol decreases with increase in the sneezing velocity. Our study recommends against using physical exercise centers in a closed environment such as gymnasium and indoor games during the COVID pandemic, especially in a polluted environment. The results from our work will help in deciding proper social distancing guidelines based on the local atmospheric pollution level. They may act as a precursor in controlling further spread of diseases during this unprecedented situation of the COVID pandemic.

High biogeographic and latitudinal variability in gastropod drilling predation on molluscs along the eastern Indian coast: Implications on the history of fossil record of drillholes.

Studies on the large-scale latitudinal patterns of gastropod drilling predation reveal that predation pressure may decrease or increase with increasing latitude, or even show no trend, questioning the generality of any large-scale latitudinal or biogeographic pattern. Here, we analyze the nature of spatio-environmental and latitudinal variation in gastropod drilling along the Indian eastern coast by using 76 samples collected from 39 locations, covering ~2500 km, incorporating several ecoregions, and ~15° latitudinal extents. We find no environmental or latitudinal gradient. In fact, drilling intensity varies highly within the same latitudinal bin, or oceanic sub-basins, or even the same ecoregions. Moreover, different ecoregions with their distinctive biotic and abiotic environmental variables show similar predation intensities. However, one pattern is prevalent: some small infaunal prey taxa, living in the sandy-muddy substrate-which are preferred by the naticid gastropods-are always attacked more frequently over others, indicating taxon and size selectivity by the predators. The result suggests that the biotic and abiotic factors, known to influence drilling predation, determine only the local predation pattern. In the present case, the nature of substrate and prey composition determines the local predation intensity: soft substrate habitats host dominantly small, infaunal prey. Since the degree of spatial variability in drilling intensity within any time bin can be extremely high, sometimes greater than the variability across consecutive time bins, temporal patterns in drilling predation can never be interpreted without having detailed knowledge of the nature of this spatial variability within a time bin.

Synergistic effect of pistachio shell powder and nano-zerovalent copper for chromium remediation from aqueous solution.

Pistachio shell powder supported nano-zerovalent copper (ZVC@PS) material prepared by borohydride reduction was characterized using SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA/DTA, BET, and XPS. SEM, XRD, and XPS revealed the nano-zerovalent copper to consist of a core-shell structure with CuO shell and Cu(0) core with a particle size of 40-100 nm and spherical morphology aggregated on PS biomass. ZVC@PS was found to contain 39% (w/w %) Cu onto the pistachio shell biomass. Batch sorption of Cr(VI) from the aqueous using ZVC@PS was studied and was optimized for dose (0.1-0.5 g/L), initial Cr(VI) concentration(1-20 mg/L), and pH (2-12). Optimized conditions were 0.1 g/L doses of sorbent and pH=3 for Cr(VI) adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models fitted well to the adsorption behavior of ZVC@PS for Cr(VI) with a pseudo-second-order kinetic behavior. ZVC@PS (0.1g/L) exhibits qmax for Cr(VI) removal up to 110.9 mg/g. XPS and other spectroscopic evidence suggest the adsorption of Cr(VI) by pistachio shell powder, coupled with reductive conversion of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by ZVC particles to produce a synergistic effect for the efficient remediation of Cr(VI) from aqueous medium.

Surface Nanostructure-Wettability Coupling Leads to Unique Topological Evolution Dictating Water Transport over Nanometer Scales.

Surface nanostructure, either designed or generated as an artifact of the fabrication procedure, is known to influence interfacial phenomena intriguingly. While surface roughness-wettability coupling over nanometer scales has been addressed to some extent, the explicit interplay of hydrodynamics and confinement toward dictating the underlying characteristics for practically relevant material interfaces remains unexplored. Here, we bring out unique roles of surface nanostructures toward altering flow of water in a copper nanochannel, by capturing an exclusive interplay of confinement, roughness, wettability and flow dynamics. Toward this, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations are performed to examine the effect of nanoscale triangular roughness. The width and height of the triangular microgroove are varied along with different driving forces at the channel inlet, and the results are compared with those corresponding to smooth-walled nanochannels. We also unveil the nontrivial characteristics of the interfacial topology as a consequence of spontaneous phase separation at the fluid-solid interface. For a constant driving force, we show that the interface may exhibit concave or convex topology, depending on the nanogroove geometry. Our results provide new vistas on how designed nanoscale roughness structures can be harnessed toward controlling the transport of water in a practically engineered nanosystem, as demanded by the specific application on hand.

Study of hot stress dynamic IR thermography for detecting surface cancerous tissue.

The early diagnosis of cancer at any location of the human body can help in enhancing the survival rate and in reducing the cost of the treatment. Among the several techniques, the conventional infra-red (IR) thermography suffers from several limitations, including higher patient discomfort and longer time for tumour detection based on the temperature difference between tumour and adjacent healthy tissues. Hence, in this work, a novel non-invasive hot stress dynamic IR thermography system is proposed to detect surface tumour without severe discomfort to the patient. The system is designed to detect the surface tumour under 3 min within a temperature range of 42 and 37 °C. A two-dimensional numerical model based on the bio-heat transfer of tissue consists of cancerous and healthy cells is developed and validated to analysis the thermal contrast arises due to the presence of cancerous and healthy cells while cooling naturally. A light source is introduced with appropriate intensity to achieve a suitable temperature contrast. Moreover, the effects of natural convective heat loss from the tissue to the ambient and the scanning speed of IR Thermography on the tissue are investigated. A temperature difference of about 1.5 °C is found after cooling of tissues for 140 s, which can be detected using a thermographic camera. Finally, a sensitivity study is conducted to access the importance of the individual parameter over the final temperature field. The results predict the blood perfusion rate as the most significant parameter that significantly influences the temperature distribution in the considered domain.

Enhanced Design of PPE Based on Electrostatic Principle to Eliminate Viruses (SARS-CoV-2).

The ongoing global pandemic due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is in the crucial stage. The vaccine is still at the developing stage. Currently, the only way to check the spreading of this virus is self-isolation. It is reported that a good number of health workers are infected while treating patients suffering from COVID 19. Therefore, an effort is made to develop a system that can enhance safety and check unwanted viruses. Although the complete specification of the SARS-CoV-2 is yet to be evaluated, the present work considers the characteristic of SARS-CoV-1, which closely relates to that of SARS-CoV-2. The proteins are one of the most important structural and functional molecules of the virus; therefore, few properties of a protein are considered. In this work, we propose a sanitization procedure of the personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and masks, before and after the use, by employing high voltage charge generator (30 kV) from a very low DC source of 5 V to eliminate the virus from the surface of PPE. The positive output is connected to a metallic surface coated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) or a metallic surface ablated using lithography to achieve desired nano-grooves of 200 nm. At the tip of these nano-grooves, a very high electric field is generated which readily ionises the air in the vicinity of the tip. The high electric field alters the induced dipole of the protein of the virus, causing permanent damage in terms of electroporation. Further positive salt ions diffuse into the protein of the viruses, causing it inactive and disintegrate.

Polar Switching and Cybotactic Nematic Ordering in 1,3,4-Thiadiazole-Based Short-Core Hockey Stick-Shaped Fluorescent Liquid Crystals.

We report here the synthesis and thermotropic properties of novel short-core hockey stick-shaped liquid crystalline molecules based on the 1,3,4-thiadiazole core. Polar switching behavior is observed in the cybotactic nematic and smectic mesophases for the bent-core thiadiazole derivatives. The presence of the lateral methoxy moiety in the outer phenyl ring of the four-ring molecules facilitates the formation of spontaneous ordering in the nematic phase observed via X-ray diffraction measurements. Anomalous temperature dependence of spontaneous polarization on cooling is explained by the possible antiferroelectric packing of the molecules that require higher electric field for switching. The compounds exhibited a strong absorption band at ∼356 nm and a blue emission band at ∼445 nm with a good quantum yield of φf ∼0.39. The mega Stokes shift is observed and depends on the nature of the solvent.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy of a Combination of Rifaximin and Lactulose with Lactulose only in the Treatment of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), or portosystemic encephalopathy, represents a reversible decrease in neurologic function caused by liver disease, and treatment has traditionally been with non-absorbable disaccharides along with antibiotics and supportive measures. The present study was undertaken to evaluate if their combination therapy were superior to the established therapy in management of HE. Methods: Ninety six (96) patients of hepatic encephalopathy were randomly assigned to receive either lactulose and rifaximin in standard dosage or lactulose only and their response to therapy was monitored using standard assessment tools. The statistical analysis was done using Kaplan- Meier methods to estimate the percentage of patients maintaining survival over time. Results: The patients who were on lactulose and placebo revealed to have lower mortality than those on lactulose and rifaximin. Also, improvement in neurological status was of Grade 1 or more was more in patients on lactulose and placebo when compared to those on lactulose and rifaximin. Although survival analysis revealed no statistical difference between two groups, the mean survival in the placebo group was higher. Conclusions: The present study reveals that improvement in neurological status of the group treated with lactulose only was that of a higher percentage than that of the group being treated with lactulose and rifaximin, which reiterates the recommendation that lactulose be used as a first line therapy in overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). Also the outcome was better in patients who had a lower grade of encephalopathy on admission.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome following Treatment with Sunitinib Malate.

Sunitinib malate (Sutent, SU011248) is an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma and imatinib (Gleevec)-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with few reported side effects including asthenia, myelosuppression, diarrhea, and mucositis. Scarce literature exists regarding the rare but often serious toxicities of sunitinib. Autoimmune and neurological side effects have been linked to sunitinib's inhibition of VEGF receptors with a corresponding increase in VEGF levels, which is associated with development of different neuropathies. We hereby report an interesting case of Guillain-Barré syndrome in a middle-aged patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma following sunitinib treatment.

Apert Syndrome.

Apert syndrome is one of the craniosynostosis syndromes which, due to its association with other skeletal anomalies, is also known as acrocephalosyndactyly. It is a rare congenital anomaly which stands out from other craniosynostosis due to its characteristic skeletal presentations.

Novel Arsenic Nanoparticles Are More Effective and Less Toxic than As (III) to Inhibit Extracellular and Intracellular Proliferation of Leishmania donovani.

Visceral leishmaniasis, a vector-borne tropical disease that is threatening about 350 million people worldwide, is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani. Metalloids like arsenic and antimony have been used to treat diseases like leishmaniasis caused by the kinetoplastid parasites. Arsenic (III) at a relatively higher concentration (30 µg/mL) has been shown to have antileishmanial activity, but this concentration is reported to be toxic in several experimental mammalian systems. Nanosized metal (0) particles have been shown to be more effective than their higher oxidation state forms. There is no information so far regarding arsenic nanoparticles (As-NPs) as an antileishmanial agent. We have tested the antileishmanial properties of the As-NPs, developed for the first time in our laboratory. As-NPs inhibited the in vitro growth, oxygen consumption, infectivity, and intramacrophage proliferation of L. donovani parasites at a concentration which is about several fold lower than that of As (III). Moreover, this antileishmanial activity has comparatively less cytotoxic effect on the mouse macrophage cell line. It is evident from our findings that As-NPs have more potential than As (III) to be used as an antileishmanial agent.

Inhibition of subcutaneous growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor by post-immunization with EAC-cell gangliosides and its anti-idiotype antibody in relation to tumor angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell cycle and infiltration of CD4+, CD8+ lymphocytes, NK cells, suppressor cells and APC-cells in tumor.

Both EAC-tumor associated gangliosides and its anti-idiotype antibody inhibited growth of this tumor significantly. Immuno-histological studies with von Willebrand Factor (vWF) antibody indicated that tumor angiogenesis as determined by expression of vWF decreased in tumors of mice, post-immunized with EAC-cell gangliosides as well as its anti-idiotype antibody. Infiltration of various immune cells of the host in the tumor correlated to some extent with tumor-growth inhibition. Apoptosis study using AnnexinV-FITC and propidium iodide indicated that tumor growth inhibition in mice post-immunized with EAC-gangliosides and its anti-idiotype antibody were due to enhanced apoptosis and cell death. Cell cycle analysis by FACS indicated that EAC-cell associated gangliosides and its anti-idiotype antibody were acting both at the M2 i.e. S and M3 i.e. G2/M phases of the cell cycle to arrest tumor growth.