Development and evaluation of a lateral flow-based portable optical system for determination of the pregnancy status of dairy cows.

Our objectives were to develop and evaluate an integrated system consisting of a lateral-flow immunoassay (LFIA) and an electronic portable imaging device for determination of pregnancy status of cows based on plasma concentrations of pregnancy-specific protein B (PSPB). Experiment 1 was conducted to test the performance of the LFIA for PSPB (PSPB-LFIA) whereas experiment 2 was conducted to evaluate the performance of the integrated system including both the LFIA and imaging device. The PSPB-LFIA strips were made of nitrocellulose membrane with polystreptavidin, anti-mouse antibody, Europium-anti-PSPB conjugates, and biotin-PSPB. After adding buffer and plasma in a 96-well plate, strips were dipped to initiate flow and were read in a fluorescence microscope to estimate PSPB concentrations based on the test-to-control line signal (T/C ratio). The T/C ratio of standards was linearly associated with PSPB (R2 = 0.99 in both experiments) concentrations. To test the ability to identify pregnant cows of the PSPB-LFIA only or the integrated system, plasma samples were collected and transrectal ultrasonography (TUS) was conducted 29 to 35 d post AI in lactating Holstein cows (Experiment 1: n = 83; Experiment 2: n = 205). A cow was considered pregnant (Preg) if concentrations of PSPB in plasma obtained by ELISA were ≥2 ng/mL or if an embryo was visible by TUS. In Experiment 1, the accuracy of the PSPB-LFIA compared with ELISA was 92.7% (91.2% Se; 96.1% Sp; 98.1% PPV; 83.3% NPV) and compared with TUS was 90.4% (100% Se; 78.9% Sp; 84.9% PPV; 100% NPV). The agreement between LFIA and ELISA (kappa = 0.84; 95%CI 0.71-0.96) or LFIA and TUS (kappa = 0.80; 95%CI 0.67-0.93) as methods to classify cows as Preg or Non-Preg was high. In Experiment 2, the accuracy of the PSPB-LFIA compared with ELISA was 96.1% (93.8% Se; 100% Sp; 100% PPV; 90.5% NPV) and compared with TUS was 92.2% (99.0% Se; 84.7% Sp; 87.6% PPV; 98.8% NPV). The agreement between LFIA and ELISA (kappa = 0.92; 95%CI 0.86-0.97) or LFIA and TUS (kappa = 0.84; 95%CI 0.77-0.92) as methods to classify cows as Preg or Non-Preg was high. We conclude that a system integrating a fluorescence-based LFIA and an optical reader was effective for classifying cows as pregnant or not pregnant based on estimations of plasma concentrations of PSPB. This novel system serves as a platform for further development of on-farm pregnancy testing tools based on measurement of biomarkers of pregnancy in bodily fluids of cattle.

Evidence of novel Treponema phylotypes implicated in contagious ovine digital dermatitis and association of treponemes with major lameness causing foot pathogens.

In this study 269 swabs collected from 254 ovine foot lesions and 15 apparently healthy ovine feet were screened by PCR for the presence of major lameness causing foot pathogens viz. Treponema species, D. nodosus, F. necrophorum and T. pyogenes with the presumption that ovine foot lesion positive for Treponema species alone or in association with other three pathogens were categorized as contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD). While samples positive for D. nodosus alone or its combination with F. necrophorum and T. pyogenes were considered as footrot (FR) and samples in which F. necrophorum or T. pyogenes was found either alone or in combination were considered as interdigital dermatitis (ID). The overall occurrence of Treponema sp. in ovine foot lesions was 48.0%, and ranged from 33 to 58%. In Treponema positive samples D. nodosus, F. necrophorum and T. pyogenes were present in 34 (27.4%), 66 (54.4%) and 84 (68.5%) in contrast to Treponema negative samples in which these were present in 15 (11.1%), 20 (14.12%) and 17 (12.6%) samples, respectively. The data signifies that Treponema sp. are significantly associated with these foot pathogens and their different combinations with Treponema sp. influence the severity of CODD lesion. The identification of Treponema phylotypes was done by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene fragment of ten representative samples. Out of ten sequences, four (Trep-2, Trep-4, Trep-7 and Trep-10) were identical to Treponema sp. phylotype 1 (PT1) that belongs to phylogroup T. refringens-like, one sequence (Trep-1) was genetically close (90% sequence homology) to Treponema brennaborense while five sequences (Trep-3, Trep-5, Trep-6, Trep-8 and Trep-9) matched with uncultured bacterium clones of treponemes forming separate monophyletic group in phylogenetic tree and could represent new digital dermatitis phylogroup presently containing five ovine specific phylotypes. This is the first report on the presence of Treponema phylotypes other than three digital dermatitis (DD) Treponema phylogroups viz. T. phagedenis-like, T. medium/T. vincentii-like, and T. pedis-like that are frequently detected in CODD lesions. Metagenomic analysis of two representative samples revealed the abundance of genus Treponema in CODD lesion while this genus was absent in swab collected from clinically healthy foot suggesting that it might play primary role in producing CODD. These findings may further aid in understanding the etiopathogenesis of CODD and could help to develop appropriate treatment and mitigation strategies to combat the disease.

Extra-modification of zirconium dioxide for potential photocatalytic applications towards environmental remediation: A critical review.

Photocatalytic degradation is a valuable direction for eliminating organic pollutants in the environment because of its exceptional catalytic activity and low energy requirements. As one of the prospective photocatalysts, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) is a promising candidate for photoactivity due to its favorable redox potential and higher chemical stability. ZrO2 has a high rate of electron-hole recombination and poor light-harvesting capabilities. Still, modification has demonstrated enhancements, especially extra-modification, and is therefore worthy of investigation. This present review provides a comprehensive overview of the extra-modifications of ZrO2 for enhanced photocatalytic performance, including coupling with other semiconductors, doping with metal, non-metal, and co-doping with metal and non-metal. The extra-modified ZrO2 showed superior performance in degrading the organic pollutant, particularly dyes and phenolic compounds. Interestingly, this review also briefly highlighted the probable mechanisms of the extra-modification of ZrO2 such as p-n heterojunction, type II heterojunction, and Z-scheme heterojunction. The latter heterojunction with excellent electron-hole space separation improved the photoactivity. Extensive research on ZrO2's photocatalytic potential is presented, including the removal of heavy metals, the redox of heavy metals and organic pollutants, and the evolution of hydrogen. Modified ZrO2's photocatalytic effectiveness depends on its band position, oxygen vacancy concentration, and metal defect sites. The opportunities and future problems of the extra-modified ZrO2 photocatalyst are also discussed. This review aims to share knowledge regarding extra-modified ZrO2 photocatalysts and inspire new environmental remediation applications.

Predictors of 30-day and 12-month mortality in left main stem percutaneous coronary intervention 2016-2020: A study from two UK centers.

INTRODUCTION: Left main stem percutaneous coronary intervention (LMS-PCI) is a complex high-risk procedure which can be performed as an alternative to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure in surgical turn-down patients or where there is equipoise in percutaneous versus surgical strategies. Current guidelines suggest that PCI is an appropriate alternative to CABG in patients with unprotected LMS disease and low SYNTAX score. However, "real world" data on outcomes of LMS-PCI remain limited. This study aims to quantify and determine predictors of mortality following LMS-PCI. METHODS: Using local coronary angioplasty registries from two UK centers, all LMS-PCI cases were identified from 2016 to 2020. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the association between baseline and procedural characteristics with 30-day and 12-month mortality. RESULTS: We identified 484 cases of LMS-PCI between 2016 and 2020. There was a year-on-year increase in the number of LMS-PCI, the highest being in 2020. Covariates associated with higher 30-day mortality were age (OR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12) and shock preprocedure (OR 23.88, 95% CI: 7.90-72.20). Covariates associated with higher 12-month mortality were age (OR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.08), acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (OR 2.50, 95% CI: 1.08-5.80), renal disease (OR 5.24, 95% CI: 1.47-18.68), and shock preprocedure (OR 7.93, 95% CI: 3.30-19.05). Overall, 30-day and 12-month mortality in this contemporary data set were 9.5% and 16.7%, respectively, with significantly lower rates in elective cases (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Older age and cardiogenic shock preprocedure were associated with increased 30-day mortality after LMS-PCI. Twelve-month mortality was associated with older age, ACS presentation, preexisting renal disease, and cardiogenic shock preprocedure.

A state of the art review on electrochemical technique for the remediation of pharmaceuticals containing wastewater.

Pharmaceutical wastewater is a frequent kind of wastewater with high quantities of organic pollutants, although little research has been done in the area. Pharmaceutical wastewaters containing antibiotics and high salinity may impair traditional biological treatment, resulting in the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes. The potential for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to break down hazardous substances instead of present techniques that essentially transfer contaminants from wastewater to sludge, a membrane filter, or an adsorbent has attracted interest. Among a variety of AOPs, electrochemical systems are a feasible choice for treating pharmaceutical wastewater. Many electrochemical approaches exist now to remediate rivers polluted by refractory organic contaminants, like pharmaceutical micro-pollutants, which have become a severe environmental problem. The first part of this investigation provides the bibliometric analysis of the title search from 1970 to 2021 for keywords such as wastewater and electrochemical. We have provided information on relations between keywords, countries, and journals based on three fields plot, inter-country co-authorship network analysis, and co-occurrence network visualization. The second part introduces electrochemical water treatment approaches customized to these very distinct discarded flows, containing how processes, electrode materials, and operating conditions influence the results (with selective highlighting cathode reduction and anodic oxidation). This section looks at how electrochemistry may be utilized with typical treatment approaches to improve the integrated system's overall efficiency. We discuss how electrochemical cells might be beneficial and what compromises to consider when putting them into practice. We wrap up our analysis with a discussion of known technical obstacles and suggestions for further research.

Predicting outcomes of mesenteric ischemia postcardiac surgery: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to identify predictors of outcomes of mesenteric ischemia in patients following cardiac surgery. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was done on EMBASE, PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and SCOPUS using keywords relating to bowel ischemia and cardiac surgery. Database search results were screened by at least two authors and 32 articles were selected for inclusion in this review. RESULTS: Data on 1907 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 70.0 ± 2.99 years and the prevalence of bowel ischemia was 1.74%. Advanced age was a significant risk factor. 63.16% of patients reported were men, and 58.4% of patients died in hospital. There was heterogeneity in the reported significance of the following preoperative risk factors: hypertension, smoking status, type 2 diabetes mellitus, end-stage renal disease, preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction <35%. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, preoperative/operative intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support, and inotrope usage were significantly associated with the development of mesenteric ischemia; however, other intraoperative factors including the type of cardiac surgery and duration of aortic cross-clamping had varying levels of reported significance. There were discrepancies in the reported significance of leukocytosis and metabolic acidosis (pH <7.3) as postoperative markers. Postoperative vasopressor use, prolonged ventilation time, and elevation in lactate, transaminases, creatinine, and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP) levels were found to be strongly associated with bowel ischemia. CONCLUSION: This systematic review found the strongest associations of mesenteric ischemia postcardiac surgery to be advanced age, CPB time, rise in lactate, transaminases, creatinine, and IFABP. IABP support, vasopressor, and inotrope use as well as prolonged ventilation were strongly linked too.

Can honey improve the quality of cryopreserved cross bred ram semen added to tris egg yolk extender?

BACKGROUND: Honey can improve the quality of cryopreserved ram semen because of its multinutrient and cryoprotective nature added to standard tris egg yolk extender. OBJECTIVE: Different concentrations of honey were added to the standard tris egg yolk extender to improve the post-thaw quality of crossbred ram semen. METHOD: Thirty six (36) ejaculates from eight healthy cross bred rams were pooled and divided into four aliquots. Standard tris egg yolk extender without any alteration acted as Control (C) and was supplemented with different concentrations of honey, viz. T1 (honey 1.5%), T2 (2.5%), and T3 (3.5%). RESULTS: The percent (mean ± S.E.M) sperm motility at pre-freeze was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Group T2 and at post-thaw in Group T3 in comparison to T1 and C treatment groups. The percent (mean ± S.E.M) HOST reacted spermatozoa at post-thaw was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Group C and at pre-freeze the value was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the same treatment group than Group T1. The mean MDA level (mean ± S.E.M) at post thaw was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in Group T3 than the treatment groups C and Group T1. CONCLUSION: From this study it is concluded that the addition of 3.5% honey to the standard tris egg yolk extender provides better protection to ram semen than the addition of 1.5% honey (i.e., Control). doi.org/10.54680/fr22610110212.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Potential of Liver Aminotransferases and Alkaline Phosphatase in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases.

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. Early diagnosis with the best diagnostic marker is highly desired for the prevention and timely treatment of CVDs. However, there is still a dearth of an ideal marker for the detection of CVDs. Objective To explore the diagnostic potential of liver aminotransferases (AST and ALT), and alkaline phosphatase for the diagnosis of CVDs without liver involvement. Method This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 200 adult patients with CVDs, who visited the cardiology and emergency units of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal. The study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2020. The baseline data on family history, anthropometry, baseline biochemical parameters, liver enzymes, and cardiac biomarkers were collected using standard and validated methods. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and MedCalc software 2021. Result The diagnostic sensitivity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were 53.7%, 52.6%, and 33.7% and specificity were 99%, 90%, and 90% respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of AST, ALT, and ALP were 0.78, 0.73, and 0.52 respectively. ROC curve indicated that serum AST and ALT activity was a better reliable marker than the serum ALP activities. Conclusion Our study suggests that serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase but not alkaline phosphatase could have some diagnostic potential to diagnose the risk of CVDs. However, they could not replace the currently adopted cardiac biomarkers such as cTnI and CK-MB.

The impact of coronary perforation in percutaneous interventions involving the left main stem coronary artery in the United Kingdom 2007-2014: Insights from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society database.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is increasingly utilized for treatment of coronary disease involving the unprotected left main stem (ULMS). However, no studies to date have examined the outcomes of such interventions when complicated by coronary perforation (CP). METHODS: Using the British Cardiovascular Intervention society (BCIS) database, data were analyzed on all ULMS-PCI procedures complicated by CP in England and Wales between 2007 and 2014. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of ULMS CP and to evaluate the association between this complication and outcomes. RESULTS: During 10,373 ULMS-PCI procedures, CP occurred more frequently than in non-ULMS-PCI (0.9 vs. 0.4%, p < .001) with a stable annual incidence. Covariates associated with CP included number of stents used, female gender, use of rotational atherectomy and chronic total occlusion (CTO) intervention. Adjusted odds of adverse outcomes for ULMS-PCI complicated by CP were higher for peri-procedural complications including cardiogenic shock, tamponade, side-branch loss, DC cardioversion, in-hospital major bleeding, transfusion requirement, and peri-procedural myocardial infarction. There were also significantly increased odds for in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACCE, OR 8.961, 95% CI [4.902-16.383]) and 30-day mortality (OR 5.301, 95% CI [2.741-10.251]). CONCLUSIONS: CP is an infrequent event during ULMS-PCI and is predicted by female gender, rotational atherectomy, CTO interventions or number of stents used. CP was associated with significantly higher odds of mortality and morbidity, but at rates similar to previously published all-comer PCI complicated by CP.

Excimer laser coronary atherectomy during complex PCI: An analysis of 1,471 laser cases from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society database.

INTRODUCTION: Excimer laser coronary atherectomy (ELCA) is a recognized adjunctive therapy utilized in the percutaneous management of complex coronary lesions. Studies examining its safety and utility have been limited by small sample sizes. Our study examines the determinants and outcomes of ELCA. METHODS: Using the British Cardiac Intervention Society database, data were analyzed on all PCI procedures in the UK between 2006-2016. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine baseline, procedural and outcome associations with ELCA. RESULTS: We identified 1,471 (0.21%) ELCA cases out of 686,358 PCI procedures. Baseline covariates associated with ELCA use were age, BMI, number of lesions, CTO or restenosis attempted and history of prior MI, CABG or PCI. Procedural co-variates associated with ELCA were the use of glycoprotein inhibitors, intravascular imaging, rotational atherectomy, cutting balloons, microcatheters and intra-aortic balloon pumps. Adjusted rates of in-hospital major adverse cardiac/cerebrovascular events (MACCE) or its individual components (death, peri-procedural MI, stroke and major bleed) were not significantly altered by the use of ELCA. However, there were higher odds of dissection (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.17-1.98), perforation (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.44-3.30), slow flow (OR: 1.67, 95% CI 1.18-2.36), reintervention (OR: 2.12, 95% CI 1.14-3.93) and arterial complications (OR: 1.63, 95% CI 1.21-2.21). CONCLUSIONS: ELCA use during complex PCI is associated with higher risk baseline and procedural characteristics. Although increased rates of acute procedural complications were observed, ELCA does not increase likelihood of in-hospital MACCE or its individual components.

The role of the inferior parietal lobule in writer's cramp.

Humans have a distinguishing ability for fine motor control that is subserved by a highly evolved cortico-motor neuronal network. The acquisition of a particular motor skill involves a long series of practice movements, trial and error, adjustment and refinement. At the cortical level, this acquisition begins in the parieto-temporal sensory regions and is subsequently consolidated and stratified in the premotor-motor cortex. Task-specific dystonia can be viewed as a corruption or loss of motor control confined to a single motor skill. Using a multimodal experimental approach combining neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation, we explored interactions between the principal nodes of the fine motor control network in patients with writer's cramp and healthy matched controls. Patients and healthy volunteers underwent clinical assessment, diffusion-weighted MRI for tractography, and functional MRI during a finger tapping task. Activation maps from the task-functional MRI scans were used for target selection and neuro-navigation of the transcranial magnetic stimulation. Single- and double-pulse TMS evaluation included measurement of the input-output recruitment curve, cortical silent period, and amplitude of the motor evoked potentials conditioned by cortico-cortical interactions between premotor ventral (PMv)-motor cortex (M1), anterior inferior parietal lobule (aIPL)-M1, and dorsal inferior parietal lobule (dIPL)-M1 before and after inducing a long term depression-like plastic change to dIPL node with continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation in a randomized, sham-controlled design. Baseline dIPL-M1 and aIPL-M1 cortico-cortical interactions were facilitatory and inhibitory, respectively, in healthy volunteers, whereas the interactions were converse and significantly different in writer's cramp. Baseline PMv-M1 interactions were inhibitory and similar between the groups. The dIPL-PMv resting state functional connectivity was increased in patients compared to controls, but no differences in structural connectivity between the nodes were observed. Cortical silent period was significantly prolonged in writer's cramp. Making a long term depression-like plastic change to dIPL node transformed the aIPL-M1 interaction to inhibitory (similar to healthy volunteers) and cancelled the PMv-M1 inhibition only in the writer's cramp group. These findings suggest that the parietal multimodal sensory association region could have an aberrant downstream influence on the fine motor control network in writer's cramp, which could be artificially restored to its normal function.

Identification of Immunodominant Outer Membrane Proteins of Fusobacterium necrophorum from Severe Ovine Footrot By MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

The aim of this study was to identify the immunodominant outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Fusobacterium necrophorum from sheep affected with severe foot-rot. The OMP profile of ovine strains of F. necrophorum has not been well studied. We analyzed the OMP profile of the most frequent lktA variant JKS-F3 of F. necrophorum associated with severe ovine foot-rot with lesion score 4 in order to identify its major immunodominant OMPs. Electrophoretic separations of extracted OMPs showed a number of spots in two-dimensional electrophoretic gels. Two immunoreactive proteins of size around 43 kDa were identified through western blotting using hyperimmune sera raised in rabbits. These two immunogenic OMPs were analyzed by Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF/MS) which revealed that these two OMPs of lktA variant JKS-F3 of F. necrophorum showed 46 and 42 percent protein sequence coverage and scores of 125 and 114, respectively, with the reported 43 kDa outer membrane protein of F. necrophorum strain H05, a putative porin having properties similar to pore-forming proteins of anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria. These identified immunogenic OMPs will contribute to our understanding of the pathogenic role played by this organism in ovine foot-rot and could be exploited to devise an effective control strategy through development of an OMP-based recombinant vaccine to mitigate foot-rot in sheep and goats.

Comparison of extended right hemicolectomy, left hemicolectomy and segmental colectomy for splenic flexure colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: The aim of this work was to compare the outcomes of extended right hemicolectomy (ERH), left hemicolectomy (LH) and segmental colectomy (SC) for the surgical management of splenic flexure tumours. METHOD: In compliance with PRISMA statement standards, a systematic review was performed to identify all studies comparing outcomes of ERH, LH and SC for the surgical management of splenic flexure tumours. Primary outcomes included anastomotic leakage and all postoperative complications. The secondary outcomes included operative time, R0 resection, number of harvested lymph nodes, > 12 harvested lymph nodes, severe complications, postoperative mortality, paralytic ileus, wound infection, pancreatic fistula, intra-abdominal abscess, need for reoperation, length of hospital stay, 5-year overall survival and 5-year disease-free survival. The ROBINS-I tool and GRADE system were used to assess the risk of bias and certainty of evidence, respectively. RESULTS: Analysis of 956 patients from seven observational studies showed that ERH was associated with more paralytic ileus than LH (OR 2.74, P = 0.002) and SC (OR 6.67, P < 0.0001) and the operative time was shorter in SC than in ERH (mean difference 25.48, P < 0.0001) and LH (mean difference -17.94, P = 0.0002). There were no differences between ERH, LH and SC in terms of anastomotic leakage, postoperative complications, R0 resection, severe complications, postoperative mortality, wound infection, pancreatic fistula, intra-abdominal abscess, need for reoperation, length of hospital stay, > 12 harvested lymph nodes, 5-year overall survival and 5-year disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence, limited to observational studies, suggests that there is no difference between ERH, LH and SC in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality, lymph node yield and cancer survival. Randomized controlled trials are required for definite conclusions.

Determination of prevalence, serological diversity, and virulence of Dichelobacter nodosus in ovine footrot with identification of its predominant serotype as a potential vaccine candidate in J&K, India.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, serological diversity, and virulence of Dichelobacter nodosus in footrot lesions of sheep and identification of its predominant serotype as a potential vaccine candidate. The overall prevalence of footrot in sheep was 16.19%, and ranged from 13.69 to 19.71%, respectively. A total of 759 flocks with 22,698 sheep were investigated for footrot and 2374 clinical samples were collected from naturally infected sheep exhibiting footrot lesions. Of the 2374 samples collected, 1446 (60.90%) were positive for D. nodosus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These positive samples when subjected to serogroup-specific multiplex PCR, 1337 (92.46%) samples carried serogroup B, 247 (17.08%) possessed serogroup E, 86 (5.94%) serogroup I, and one (0.069%) serogroup G of D. nodosus. While mixed infection of serogroups B and E was detected in 127 (8.78%), B and I in 46 (3.18%) and B, E, and I in 26 (1.79%) samples, respectively. The serogroup B of D. nodosus was the predominant (92.47%) serogroup affecting sheep population with footrot followed by serogroup E (19.91%) and serogroup I (4.57%), respectively. Virulent status of D. nodosus strains were confirmed by presence of virulence-specific integrase A (intA) gene and the production of thermostable proteases. The intA gene was detected in 709 (72.79%) samples while gelatin gel test carried out on 246 representative isolates all positive for intA gene produced thermostable proteases, confirming their virulence nature. The PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of whole fimA gene of serogroup B revealed the predominance of serotype B5 (82.97%) of serogroup B. This information suggests that serotype B5 is the predominant serotype of D. nodosus associated with severe footrot lesions in sheep in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), India. Hence, this serotype can be a potential vaccine candidate for the effective control and treatment of ovine footrot.

Enhancement of external quantum efficiency and quality of heterojunction white LEDs by varying the size of ZnO nanorods.

The size of ZnO nanorods (NRs) plays an important role in tuning the external quantum efficiency (EQE) and quality of light generated by white light emitting diodes (LEDs). In this work, we report on the enhancement of EQE and the quality of ZnO NR-based hetrojunction white LEDs fabricated on a p-GaN substrate using a low temperature solution method. Cathodoluminescence spectra demonstrate that ultraviolet (UV) emission decreases and visible deep band emission increases with an increase in the length of the ZnO NRs. The UV emission could be internally reabsorbed by the ZnO NR excitation, thus enhancing the emission intensity of the visible deep band. Photocurrent measurements validated the fact that the EQE depends on the size of ZnO NRs, increasing by 87% with an increase in the length of the ZnO NRs. Furthermore, the quality of white light was measured and clearly indicated an increase in the color rendering indices of the LEDs with an increase in the length of the ZnO NRs, confirming that the quality of light generated by LEDs can be tuned by varying the length of the ZnO NRs. These results suggest that the EQE and visible deep band emission from n-ZnONRs/p-GaN heterojunction LEDs can be effectively controlled by adjusting the length of the ZnO NRs, which can be useful for realizing tunable white LEDs.

Investigation into local cell mechanics by atomic force microscopy mapping and optical tweezer vertical indentation.

Investigating the mechanical properties of cells could reveal a potential source of label-free markers of cancer progression, based on measurable viscoelastic parameters. The Young's modulus has proved to be the most thoroughly studied so far, however, even for the same cell type, the elastic modulus reported in different studies spans a wide range of values, mainly due to the application of different experimental conditions. This complicates the reliable use of elasticity for the mechanical phenotyping of cells. Here we combine two complementary techniques, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical tweezer microscopy (OTM), providing a comprehensive mechanical comparison of three human breast cell lines: normal myoepithelial (HBL-100), luminal breast cancer (MCF-7) and basal breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cells. The elastic modulus was measured locally by AFM and OTM on single cells, using similar indentation approaches but different measurement parameters. Peak force tapping AFM was employed at nanonewton forces and high loading rates to draw a viscoelastic map of each cell and the results indicated that the region on top of the nucleus provided the most meaningful results. OTM was employed at those locations at piconewton forces and low loading rates, to measure the elastic modulus in a real elastic regime and rule out the contribution of viscous forces typical of AFM. When measured by either AFM or OTM, the cell lines' elasticity trend was similar for the aggressive MDA-MB-231 cells, which were found to be significantly softer than the other two cell types in both measurements. However, when comparing HBL-100 and MCF-7 cells, we found significant differences only when using OTM.

International consensus statement on injury surveillance in cricket: a 2016 update.

Cricket was the first sport to publish recommended methods for injury surveillance in 2005. Since then, there have been changes to the nature of both cricket and injury surveillance. Researchers representing the major cricket playing nations met to propose changes to the previous recommendations, with an agreed voting block of 14. It was decided that 10 of 14 votes (70%) were required to add a new definition element and 11 of 14 (80%) were required to amend a previous definition. In addition to the previously agreed 'Match time-loss' injury, definitions of 'General time-loss', 'Medical presentation', 'Player-reported' and 'Imaging-abnormality' injuries are now provided. Further, new injury incidence units of match injuries per 1000 player days, and annual injuries per 100 players per year are recommended. There was a shift towards recommending a greater number of possible definitions, due to differing contexts and foci of cricket research (eg, professional vs amateur; injury surveillance systems vs specific injury category studies). It is recommended that researchers use and report as many of the definitions as possible to assist both comparisons between studies within cricket and with those from other sports.

Combined treatment with lenalidomide and epoetin alfa in lower-risk patients with myelodysplastic syndrome.

The erythropoietic effects of lenalidomide are cytokine dependent, suggesting that the erythroid hematologic improvement (HI-E) rate may be augmented by combined treatment (CT) with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhu-EPO) in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In the present study, we explored the benefits of CT and the relationship between lenalidomide pharmacokinetics and hematologic toxicity in transfusion-dependent patients with low- to intermediate-1-risk MDS who failed prior rhu-EPO. In stage I, patients received 10 or 15 mg/d of lenalidomide monotherapy. At week 16, erythroid nonresponders (NRs) were eligible for CT with rhu-EPO 40 000 U/wk. Among 39 patients, HI-E response rate to monotherapy was 86% (6 of 7) in del(5q) and 25% (8 of 32) in non-del(5q) patients (10 mg, 17.7%; 15 mg, 33.3%). Twenty-three patients proceeded to CT, with 6 (26.0%) achieving HI-E. In 19 non-del(5q) patients, 4 (21.1%) showed HI-E. Mean baseline serum EPO in non-del(5q) patients was lower in monotherapy and CT responders than in NR (not statistically significant). Thrombocytopenia was significantly correlated with lenalidomide area under the plasma concentration-time curve (P = .0015), but severity of myelosuppression did not. The benefits of lenalidomide plus rhu-EPO are currently under investigation in a phase 3 Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-sponsored intergroup study. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00910858.

Role of Toll-like receptor 2 (-196 to -174) polymorphism in susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in Pakistani population.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem and a source of preventable deaths each year, with 8.8 million new cases of TB and 1.6 million deaths worldwide. Pakistan ranks sixth on the list of 22 high-burden tuberculosis countries in the world. The transitions from infection to clinical disease are very few signifying that host-defence factors could lead to the development of active disease. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 polymorphisms have been associated with regulation of TLR expression and development of active TB. In this study, blood samples of 187 subjects including 100 healthy and 87 TB positive were collected from three districts of Pakistan. DNA was extracted from blood and TLR 2 (-196 to -174del) polymorphism was analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results suggest that the frequency of -196 to -174del/del polymorphism of TLR2 was significantly higher in TB-positive patients compared with healthy. Results revealed that (-196 to -174del) polymorphism may increase the susceptibility to TB in healthy population of Pakistan. Moreover, males with heterozygous genotype (I/D) are more prone to TB than females with the same genotype. The occurrence of TB infection has been found positively associated with the age, suggesting that the population within the range of 21-45 years is more susceptible to Mycobacterium tuberculosis than other age groups studied. A significant association is also observed between smoking and the chances of developing TB, confirming that smoking strongly promotes its incidence.