Mini-PCNL - a boon for CKD patients with nephrolithiasis.

Purpose: The prevalence of urinary stone disease in ESRD is 3.2%, leading to renal damage due to obstructive uropathy, infection, and frequent surgical intervention. PCNL, the gold standard for complex renal stone disease, has evolved with smaller access sheaths (14-20 F), improved optics, and fluoroscopic equipments. This study aims to assess the safety and feasibility of mini- PCNL in CKD patients with respect to postoperative outcome and its effect on stage of CKD. Patients and methods: This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Urology, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, from January 2022 to October 2022. This study included adult patients with nephrolithiasis at CKD stage 3 or higher. The primary objective of this research was to assess the impact of mini-PCNL on renal function, specifically measuring changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline to a 6-month follow-up. The secondary objective was to evaluate the feasibility of mini-PCNL in CKD patients in terms of complications, stone clearance rate, and duration of hospital stay. Four variable Modification of Diet in Renal Diseases(MDRD) equation was used to calculate the estimated GFR(eGFR) of each patient and NKF/KDOQI classification system to classify the stage of CKD. Results: A total of 46 patients were included in the study. We found that for management of nephrolithiasis in CKD patients, mini-PCNL leads to significant improvement in eGFR at 6 months follow-up (mean difference = 14.25 ml/min/1.73 m2; p-value <0.01) with high stone-free rates (89.5%). The complication rates were comparable to standard PCNL. Conclusions: mini-PCNL is a bonanza for management of CKD patients with nephrolithiasis.

Fabrication and Evaluation of Anticancer Potential of Eugenol Incorporated Chitosan-Silver Nanocomposites: In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico Studies.

The expanding global cancer burden necessitates a comprehensive strategy to promote possible therapeutic interventions. Nanomedicine is a cutting-edge approach for treating cancer with minimal adverse effects. In the present study, chitosan-silver nanoparticles (ChAgNPs) containing Eugenol (EGN) were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activity against breast cancer cells (MCF-7). The physical, pharmacological, and molecular docking studies were used to characterize these nanoparticles. EGN had been effectively entrapped into hybrid NPs (84 ± 7%). The EGN-ChAgNPs had a diameter of 128 ± 14 nm, a PDI of 0.472 ± 0.118, and a zeta potential of 30.58 ± 6.92 mV. Anticancer activity was measured in vitro using an SRB assay, and the findings revealed that EGN-ChAgNPs demonstrated stronger anticancer activity against MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 14.87 ± 5.34 µg/ml) than pure EGN (30.72 ± 4.91 µg/ml). To support initial cytotoxicity findings, advanced procedures such as cell cycle analysis and genotoxicity were performed. Tumor weight reduction and survival rate were determined using different groups of mice. Both survival rates and tumor weight reduction were higher in the EGN-ChAgNPs (12.5 mg/kg) treated group than in the pure EGN treated group. Based on protein-ligand interactions, it might be proposed that eugenol had a favorable interaction with Aurora Kinase A. It was observed that C9 had the highest HYDE score of any sample, measuring at -6.8 kJ/mol. These results, in conjunction with physical and pharmacological evaluations, implies that EGN-ChAgNPs may be a suitable drug delivery method for treating breast cancer in a safe and efficient way.

AgScP2S6 van der Waals Layered Crystal: A Material with a Unique Combination of Extreme Nonlinear Optical Properties.

Research in two-dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) has exploded over the past several years for a variety of applications in photonics and optoelectronics. The 2D nature of these materials allows for a very local electronic probe of material as well as flexible integration with other functional components. Herein, using the femtosecond Z-scan technique, we report a giant two photon absorption (TPA) process and its saturation in the van der Waals gapped silver scandium thiophosphate (AgScP2S6) crystal. We have found a TPA coefficient of the order of 104 cm/GW which is orders of magnitude larger compared to many existing semiconductors and nonlinear crystals. Furthermore, we found a TPA cross-section of 103 GM and characterized the optical limiting (OL) response (0.2 mJ/cm2) and the multipulse laser damage threshold (1.09 ± 0.19 J/cm2). The combination of giant TPA, extremely low OL, and very high damage threshold suggests that this material could be extremely useful in applications like optical limiters or switches.

Biomolecular Screening of Pimpinella anisum L. for Antioxidant and Anticholinesterase Activity in Mice Brain.

Hundreds of the plants have been explored and evaluated for antioxidant and anti-amnesic activities, so far. This study was designed to report the biomolecules of Pimpinella anisum L. for the said activities. The aqueous extract of dried P. anisum seeds was fractionated via column chromatography and the fractions so obtained were assessed for the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) via in vitro analysis. The fraction which best inhibited AChE was so named as the P. anisum active fraction (P.aAF). The P.aAF was then chemically analyzed via GCMS, which indicated that oxadiazole compounds were present in it. The P.aAF was then administered to albino mice to conduct the in vivo (behavioral and biochemical) studies. The results of the behavioral studies indicated the significant (p < 0.001) increase in inflexion ratio, by the number of hole-pokings through holes and time spent in a dark area by P.aAF treated mice. Biochemical studies demonstrated that the oxadiazole present in P.aAF on one hand presented a noteworthy reduction in MDA and the AChE level and on the other hand promoted the levels of CAT, SOD and GSH in mice brain. The LD50 for P.aAF was calculated as 95 mg/Kg/p.o. The findings thus supported that the antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities of P. anisum are due to its oxadiazole compounds.

Unveiling room temperature upconversion photoluminescence in monolayer WSe2.

Upconversion photoluminescence (UPL) is a phenomenon describing an anti-Stokes process where the emitted photons have higher energy than the absorbed incident photons. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) with strong photon-exciton interactions represent a fascinating platform for studying the anti-Stokes UPL process down to the monolayer thickness limit. Herein, we demonstrate room-temperature UPL emission in monolayer WSe2 with broadband near-infrared excitation. The measured excitation power dependence of UPL intensity at various upconversion energy gains unveils two distinguished upconversion mechanisms, including the one-photon involved multiphonon-assisted UPL process and the two-photon absorption (TPA) induced UPL process. In the phonon-assisted UPL regime, the observed exponential decay of UPL intensity with the increased energy gain is attributed to the decreased phonon population. Furthermore, valley polarization properties of UPL emission with circular polarization excitation is investigated. The demonstrated results will advance future photon upconversion applications based on monolayer TMDCs such as night vision, semiconductor laser cooling, and bioimaging.

Ultrafast Nonlinear Absorption and Second Harmonic Generation in Cu0.33In1.30P2S6 van der Waals Layered Crystals.

The advancement of ultrafast photonics and optoelectronic devices necessitates the exploration of new materials with optical and chemical stability to implement practical applications. Layered quaternary metal-thio/selenophosphate has attracted much interest over the past few years. Ferroelectric CuInP2S6 (CIPS) is an emerging material that belongs to this family. When synthesized with Cu deficiencies, CIPS forms self-assembled in-plane heterostructures, which in turn exhibit properties that are both compositionally and thermally dependent. These characteristics can be explored for applications in nonlinear optoelectronic and photonic devices. Herein, we study the second and third order nonlinear optical behavior of Cu0.33In1.30P2S6 bulk heterostructure. We observed large two photon induced nonlinear absorptions and self-defocusing at 1032 nm pulsed laser excitation using the Z-scan technique. Furthermore, we identified a polarization-dependent second harmonic signal and determined the laser-induced optical damage threshold. Our observations allow for the designing of optoelectronic and ultrafast photonic devices based on these materials.

Biomolecular Evaluation of Lavandula stoechas L. for Nootropic Activity.

Lavandula Stoechas L. is widely known for its pharmacological properties. This study was performed to identify its biomolecules, which are responsible for enhancement of memory. L. stoechas aqueous extract was first purified by liquid column chromatography. The purified fractions were analyzed for in vitro anti-cholinesterase activity. The fraction that produced the best anti-cholinesterase activity was named an active fraction of L. stoechas (AfL.s). This was then subjected to GC-MS for identifications of biomolecules present in it. GC-MS indicated the presence of phenethylamine and α-tocopherol in AfL.s. Different doses of AfL.s were orally administered (for seven days) to scopolamine-induced hyper-amnesic albino mice and then behavioral studies were performed on mice for two days. After that, animals were sacrificed and their brains were isolated to perform the biochemical assay. Results of behavioral studies indicated that AfL.s improved the inflexion ratio in mice, which indicated improvement in retention behavior. Similarly, AfL.s significantly (p < 0.001) reduced acetylcholinesterase and malondialdehyde contents of mice brain, but on the other hand, it improved the level of choline acetyltransferase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione. It was found that that high doses of AfL.s (≥400 mg/Kg/p.o.) produced hyper-activity, hyperstimulation, ataxia, seizures, and ultimate death in mice. Its LD50 was calculated as 325 mg/Kg/p.o. The study concludes that α-tocopherol and phenethylamine (a primary amine) present in L. stoechas enhance memory in animal models.

Podophyllotoxin: History, Recent Advances and Future Prospects.

Podophyllotoxin, along with its various derivatives and congeners are widely recognized as broad-spectrum pharmacologically active compounds. Etoposide, for instance, is the frontline chemotherapeutic drug used against various cancers due to its superior anticancer activity. It has recently been redeveloped for the purpose of treating cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients. Podophyllotoxin and its naturally occurring congeners have low bioavailability and almost all these initially discovered compounds cause systemic toxicity and development of drug resistance. Moreover, the production of synthetic derivatives that could suffice for the clinical limitations of these naturally occurring compounds is not economically feasible. These challenges demanded continuous devotions towards improving the druggability of these drugs and continue to seek structure-optimization strategies. The discovery of renewable sources including microbial origin for podophyllotoxin is another possible approach. This review focuses on the exigency of innovation and research required in the global R&D and pharmaceutical industry for podophyllotoxin and related compounds based on recent scientific findings and market predictions.

Light-Induced Defect Healing and Strong Many-Body Interactions in Formamidinium Lead Bromide Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Organic lead halide perovskite (OLHP) nanocrystals (NCs) have paved the way to advanced optoelectronic devices through their extraordinary electrical and optical properties. However, understanding of the light-induced complex dynamic phenomena in OLHP NCs remains a subject of debate. Here we used wide field microscopy and time-resolved spectroscopy to correlate the local changes in photophysics and the dynamical behavior of photocarriers. We demonstrate that light-induced brightening of the photoluminescence from the formamidinium lead bromide NC films is related to the film preparation condition and reduction of trap density. The density of trap states is reduced via halide ion migration from interstitial position. Our femtosecond transient absorption study identifies transient Stark effect due to the generation of hot carriers. Because of slow carrier trapping, Auger recombination through many-body carrier-carrier interactions dominates over trion recombination. This work presents unprecedented insights into the light-driven processes enabling better device design in the future.

Postsynthesis Spontaneous Coalescence of Mixed-Halide Perovskite Nanocubes into Phase-Stable Single-Crystalline Uniform Luminescent Nanowires.

All inorganic mixed-halide perovskite, CsPb(Br xI1- x)3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), nanocrystals possess tunable photoluminescence with high quantum yield in the visible window. However, the photoluminescence degrades rapidly with postsynthetic aging due to the spontaneous ion separation and phase instability. Here we show that the postsynthetic aging of CsPb(Br xI1- x)3 nanocubes spontaneously forms highly uniform single-crystalline nanowires with a diameter of 9 ± 0.5 nm and length of up to several micrometers. The nanowires show bright photoluminescence with an absolute photoluminescence quantum yield of 41%. Rietveld refinement identifies the stable orthorhombic phase of the nanowires, implying a phase transition from the cubic crystallographic phase of the nanocubes during the morphology evolution. Transient absorption spectroscopy reveals a faster excited-state decay dynamic with a large exciton delocalization length in 1D nanowires. Our findings elucidate the insights into the postsynthesis morphology evolution of mixed-halide perovskite nanocrystals leading to luminescent nanowires with excellent crystal phase stability for potential optoelectronic applications.

Lavandula stoechas (L) a Very Potent Antioxidant Attenuates Dementia in Scopolamine Induced Memory Deficit Mice.

The objective of the current project was to explore the pharmacotherapeutic role of Lavandula stoechas (L) for the management of dementia. Dementia is considered a global challenge of current century seeking special attention of pharmacologists to explore its best remedies. Methanolic extract of aerial parts of L. stoechas was tested for phytochemical analysis along with free radical scavenging activity. Behavioral studies were performed on scopolamine induced amnesic mice by using elevated plus maze (EPM), light and dark test and hole board paradigms. Biochemical investigations were made after decapitating the mice. Their brains were isolated for biochemical estimation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH). Phytochemical study ensured the presence of total phenolic contents (285.91 ± 0.75 mg of GAE/g of extract), total flavonoids (134.06 ± 0.63 mg of RE/g of extract), total tannins (149.60 ± 0.93 mg of TAE/g of extract) and free radical scavenging activity (IC50 value = 76.73 µg/ml found by DPPH method). Behavioral studies indicated that animals of GVII showed higher inflexion ratio (0.40 ± 0.03) for EPM, spent most of time (227.17 ± 2.13 s) in dark area of light dark test and had many hole pockings (39.83 ± 1.88) for hole board paradigm. Moreover, biochemical studies revealed that methanolic extract of L. stoechas (800 mg/kg/p.o.) significantly (P < 0.001) reduced brain AChE and MDA levels while improved SOD, CAT, and GSH levels. Thus the findings suggest that L. stoechas stabilizes memory by enhancing cholinergic neurotransmission and by providing defense against oxidative stress in mice brain.

Is phonophobia associated with cutaneous allodynia in migraine?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether phonophobia and dynamic mechanical (brush) allodynia are associated in episodic migraine (EM). METHODS: Adult patients with EM were prospectively recruited. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic and migraine related data. Phonophobia was tested quantitatively using a real time sound processor and psychoacoustic software. Sound stimuli were pure tones at frequencies of 1000 Hz, 4000 Hz and 8000 Hz, delivered to both ears at increasing intensities, until an aversive level was reached. Allodynia was assessed by brushing the patient's skin with a gauze pad at different areas. Patients were tested both between and during acute attacks. Sound aversion thresholds (SATs) in allodynic and non-allodynic patients were compared. RESULTS: Between attacks, SATs were lower in allodynic compared with non-allodynic patients, with an average difference of -5.7 dB (p=0.04). During acute attacks, the corresponding average SAT difference (allodynic-non-allodynic) was -15.7 dB (p=0.0008). There was a significant negative correlation between allodynia scores and SATs, both within and between attacks. CONCLUSIONS: The results support an association between phonophobia and cutaneous allodynia in migraine.