Dual antigen-targeted off-the-shelf NK cells show durable response and prevent antigen escape in lymphoma and leukemia.

Substantial numbers of B cell leukemia and lymphoma patients relapse due to antigen loss or heterogeneity after anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. To overcome antigen escape and address antigen heterogeneity, we engineered induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NK cells to express both an NK cell-optimized anti-CD19 CAR for direct targeting and a high affinity, non-cleavable CD16 to augment antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. In addition, we introduced a membrane-bound IL-15/IL-15R fusion protein to promote in vivo persistence. These engineered cells, termed iDuo NK cells, displayed robust CAR-mediated cytotoxic activity that could be further enhanced with therapeutic antibodies targeting B cell malignancies. In multiple in vitro and xenogeneic adoptive transfer models, iDuo NK cells exhibited robust anti-lymphoma activity. Furthermore, iDuo NK cells effectively eliminated both CD19+ and CD19- lymphoma cells and displayed a unique propensity for targeting malignant cells over healthy cells that expressed CD19, features not achievable with anti-CAR19 T cells. iDuo NK cells combined with therapeutic antibodies represent a promising approach to prevent relapse due to antigen loss and tumor heterogeneity in patients with B cell malignancies.

Fabrication of a sustainable superhydrophobic surface of Ag-NPs@SA on copper alloy for corrosion resistance, photocatalysis, and simulated distribution of Ag atoms.

Artificial superhydrophobic surfaces that do not absorb water, like the lotus leaf, show tremendous promise in numerous applications. However, superhydrophobic surfaces are rarely used because of their low stability and endurance. A stable organic superhydrophobic surface (SHS) composed of novel morphology Ag-nanoparticles (NPs) has been fabricated on a copper alloy via etching, immersion, spraying, and annealing treatment, along with a static water contact angle (WCA) of 158 ± 1° and sliding angle (SA) less than 2°. The surface texture, composition, and morphology of the substrate surfaces were explored by using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and DFT-based Ag atom distribution. The anti-corrosion study of non-coated and Ag-NP-coated copper alloy was undertaken using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Ag-NPs +SA@SHS enhanced the corrosion resistance as compared with bare Cu alloy. The water droplet rolled down the coated Cu alloy, removed the chalk powder from the surface, and indicated an excellent self-cleaning function. Photodegradation of Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) dye samples was assessed by measuring the absorbance through UV-Visible spectrophotometry, where the Ag-NPs coated on the copper alloy were used as a catalyst. The performance of the SHS@Ag-NPs in the aqueous solution was 99.31% and 98.12% for industrial pollutants (CR and MB), with degradation rates of 5.81 × 10-2 s-1 and 5.89 × 10-2 s-1, respectively. These findings demonstrated a simple, rapid, and low-energy fabrication technique for SHS@Ag-NPs. This research reveals a valuable approach for the fabrication of SHS@Ag-NPs on various substrates to extend the superhydrophobic surfaces with ultra-fast self-healing properties, for outdoor applications such as anti-corrosion, for an innovative approach for the remediation of polluted water treatment, and for industrial applications.

Comparative investigation of tellurium-doped transition metal nanoparticles (Zn, Sn, Mn): Unveiling their superior photocatalytic and antibacterial activity.

In this study, tellurium-doped and undoped metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) (ZnO, Mn3O4, SnO2) are compared, and a practical method for their synthesis is presented. Nanocomposites were created using the coprecipitation process, and comparisons between the three material categories under study were made using a range of characterization methods. The produced materials were subjected to structural, morphological, elemental composition, and functional group analyses using XRD, FESEM in combination with EDS, and FTIR. The optical characteristics in terms of cutoff wavelength were evaluated using UV-visible spectroscopy. Catalyzing the breakdown of methylene blue (MB) dye, the isolated nanocomposites demonstrated very consistent behavior when utilized as catalysts. Regarding both doped and undoped ZnO NPs, the maximum percentage of degradation was found to be 98% when exposed to solar Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, which stand for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, respectively, and were chosen as model strains for both groups using the disk diffusion technique in the context of in vitro antibacterial testing. Doped and undoped ZnO NPs exhibited greater antibacterial efficacy, with significant inhibition zones measuring 31.5 and 37.8 mm, compared with other metal oxide NPs.

Harnessing solar power for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of coloured pollutants using novel Mg-doped-ZnFe2O4/S@g-C3N4 heterojunction: A facile hydrothermal synthesis approach.

The ability of heterogeneous photocatalysis to effectively remove organic pollutants from wastewater has shown great promise as a tool for environmental remediation. Pure zinc ferrites (ZnFe2O4) and magnesium-doped zinc ferrites (Mg@ZnFe2O4) with variable percentages of Mg (0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 mol%) were synthesized via hydrothermal route and their photocatalytic activity was checked against methylene blue (MB) taken as a model dye. FTIR, XPS, BET, PL, XRD, TEM, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used for the identification and morphological characterization of the prepared nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs). The 7% Mg@ZnFe2O4 NPs demonstrated excellent degradation against MB under sunlight. The 7% Mg@ZnFe2O4 NPs were integrated with diverse contents (10, 50, 30, and 70 wt.%) of S@g-C3N4 to develop NCs with better activity. When the NCs were tested to degrade MB dye, it was revealed that the 7%Mg@ZnFe2O4/S@g-C3N4 NCs were more effective at utilizing solar energy than the other NPs and NCs. The synergistic effect of the interface formed between Mg@ZnFe2O4 and S@g-C3N4 was primarily responsible for the boosted photocatalytic capability of the NCs. The fabricated NCs may function as an effective new photocatalyst to remove organic dyes from wastewater.

Novel yellowish-green single-phased spinel Mg1-xBaxAl2O4:Mn2+ phosphor(s) for color rendering white-light-emitting diodes.

For white light-rendering research activities, interpretation by using colored emitting materials is an alternative approach. But there are issues in designing the white color emitting materials. Particularly, differences in thermal and decay properties of discrete red, green, and blue emitting materials led to the quest for the search of a single-phased material, able to emit primary colors for white light generation. The current study is an effort to design a simple, single-phase, and cost-effective material with the tunable emission of primary colors by a series of Mg1-xBaxAl2O4:Mn2+ nanopowders. Doping of manganese ion (Mn2+) in the presence of the larger barium cation (Ba2+) at tetrahedral-sites of the spinel magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) structure led to the creation of antisite defects. Doped samples were found to have lower bandgaps compared with MgAl2O4, and hybridization of 3d-orbitals of Mn2+ with O(2p), Mg(2s)/Al(2s3p) was found to be responsible for narrowing the bandgap. The distribution of cations at various sites at random results in a variety of electronic transitions between the valance band and oxygen vacancies as well as electron traps produced the antisite defects. The suggested compositions might be used in white light applications since they have three emission bands with centers at 516 nm (green), 464 nm (blue) and 622 nm (red) at an excitation wavelength of 380 nm. A detailed discussion to analyze the effects of the larger cationic radius of Ba2+ on the lattice strain, unit cell parameters, and cell volumes using X-ray diffraction analysis is presented.

Green synthesis of tellurium-doped SnO2 nanoparticles with sulfurized g-C3 N4 : Insights into methylene blue photodegradation and antibacterial capability.

The construction of SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs), specifically Te-doped SnO2 NPs, using a simple and economical co-precipitation technique has been thoroughly described in this work. NH3 served as the reducing agent in this procedure, whilst polyethylene glycol served as the capping agent. The primary goals of our work were to investigate the physicochemical properties of the synthesized SnO2 NPs and assess their potential use as antibacterial agents and photocatalysts. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray, ultraviolet light, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and other analytical techniques were used to thoroughly analyze the NPs. Based on the full width at half maximum of the most noticeable peaks in the XRD spectrum, the Debye-Scherrer equation was used to calculate the crystallite sizes, which indicated the presence of a single tetragonal SnO2 phase. Particularly noteworthy was the exceptional photocatalytic activity of graphene-assisted Te-doped SnO2 NPs, achieving an impressive decomposition efficiency of up to 98% in the photo-oxidation of methylene blue. Furthermore, our investigation delved into the antibacterial attributes of the synthesized SnO2 NPs against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrating inhibitory effects on both bacteria strains. This suggests potential applications for these NPs in various environmental and medical contexts.

Investigation of Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes and dogs in Pakistan by detection of copro-DNA.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonosis caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, a heteroxenous parasite belonging to Cestoda class. AE is currently considered an important public health issue, but epidemiological and notably molecular data from several endemic countries, including Pakistan, are sparse. Here we report the first detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in wildlife from Pakistan after real-time PCR and sequencing confirmation in the faecal samples of three foxes from northern Kaghan and Siran regions. The occurrence is estimated at 4.4% (95% CI 0.9-12.4). In order to go further in the epidemiological investigations on E. multilocularis and due to the potential presence of other Echinococcus species, we suggest the need for further epidemiological surveys targeting E. multilocularis and E. granulosus sensu lato isolates from humans and intermediate hosts as well as definitive hosts from wildlife in Pakistan.

Association between attendance at outpatient follow-up appointments and blood pressure control among patients with hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of regularity in treatment follow-up appointments on treatment outcomes among hypertensive patients attending different healthcare settings in Islamabad, Pakistan. Additionally, factors associated with regularity in treatment follow-up were also identified. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in selected primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare settings between September, 2017 and December, 2018 in Islamabad, Pakistan. A structured data collection form was used to gather sociodemographic and clinical data of recruited patients. Binary logistic regression analyses were undertaken to determine association between regularity in treatment follow-up appointments and blood pressure control and to determine covariates significantly associated with regularity in treatment follow-up appointments. RESULTS: A total of 662 patients with hypertension participated in the study. More than half 346 (52%) of the patients were females. The mean age of participants was 54 ± 12 years. Only 274 (41%) patients regularly attended treatment follow-up appointments. Regression analysis found that regular treatment follow-up was an independent predictor of controlled blood pressure (OR 1.561 [95% CI 1.102-2.211; P = 0.024]). Gender (OR 1.720 [95% CI 1.259-2.350; P = 0.001]), age (OR 1.462 [CI 95%:1.059-2.020; P = 0.021]), higher education (OR 1.7 [95% CI 1.041-2.778; P = 0.034]), entitlement to free medical care (OR 3.166 [95% CI 2.284-4.388; P = 0.0001]), treatment duration (OR 1.788 [95% CI 1.288-2.483; P = 0.001]), number of medications (OR 1.585 [95% CI 1.259-1.996; P = 0.0001]), presence of co-morbidity (OR 3.214 [95% CI 2.248-4.593; P = 0.0001]) and medication adherence (OR 6.231 [95% CI 4.264-9.106; P = 0.0001]) were significantly associated with regularity in treatment follow-up appointments. CONCLUSION: Attendance at follow-up visits was alarmingly low among patients with hypertension in Pakistan which may explain poor treatment outcomes in patients. Evidence-based targeted interventions should be developed and implemented, considering local needs, to improve attendance at treatment follow-up appointments.

Soil drenching of paclobutrazol: An efficient way to improve quinoa performance under salinity.

Salinity extent and severity is rising because of poor management practices on agricultural lands, possibility lies to grow salt-tolerant crops with better management techniques. Therefore, a highly nutritive salt-tolerant crop quinoa with immense potential to contribute for future food security was selected for this investigation. Soil drenching of paclobutrazol (PBZ; 20 mg l-1 ) was used to understand the ionic relations, gaseous exchange characteristics, oxidative defense system and yield under saline conditions (400 mM NaCl) including normal (0 mM NaCl) and no PBZ (0 mg l-1 ) as controls. The results revealed that salinity stress reduced the growth and yield of quinoa through perturbing ionic homeostasis with the consequences of overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative damages and reduced photosynthesis. PBZ improved the quinoa performance through regulation of ionic homeostasis by decreasing Na+ , Cl- , while improving K+ , Mg2+ and Ca2+ concentration. It also enhanced the antioxidative system including ascorbic acid, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, polyphenol oxidase and glutathione peroxidase, which scavenged the ROS (H2 O2 and O2 •- ) and lowered the oxidative damages (malondialdehyde level) under salinity in roots and more specifically in leaf tissues. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance consequently improved (16 and 21%, respectively) in salt-stressed quinoa PBZ-treated compared to the non-treated ones and contributed to the improvement of panicle length (33%), 100-grain weight (8%) and grain yield (38%). Therefore, PBZ can be opted as a shotgun approach to improve quinoa performance and other crops under high saline conditions.

Phytoremediative potential of salt-tolerant grass species for cadmium and lead under contaminated nutrient solution.

Phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soils represents a promising technique and salt-tolerant hyperaccumulators for multiple metals are the need of time. Therefore, phytoremediation potential of four salt-tolerant grass species [Dhab (Desmostachya bipinnata), Kallar (Leptochloa fusca), Para (Brachiaria mutica) and Sporobolus (Sporobolus arabicus Boiss)] was evaluated for cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in a hydroponic study. The plants were harvested after a growth period of 3 months in a nutrient solution containing different levels of Cd (0, 5, and 25 mg L-1) and Pb (0, 25, and 125 mg L-1). Results indicated that Dhab grass showed the highest root and shoot dry matter yield followed by Para, Kallar and Sporobolus grass irrespective of metal or its level under which they were grown. All the grass species showed considerable Cd-accumulating potential with an accumulation of >150 mg kg-1of shoot dry matter at a higher level of Cd-contamination (25 mg L-1). While in case of shoot Pb-accumulation only Para grass performed well and accumulated Pb >1000 mg kg-1 of shoot dry matter at the higher level of Pb-contamination (125 mg L-1). Moreover, Para and Dhab grasses performed better for shoot Cd-uptake, while only Para grass showed promising shoot Pb uptake potential. In conclusion, these grass species could be penitentially used for phytoremediation of salt-affected Cd and Pb contaminated soils.

Graft-Derived Reconstitution of Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells express a semi-invariant Vα7.2+ T cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes ligands from distinct bacterial and fungal species. In neonates, MAIT cells proliferate coincident with gastrointestinal (GI) bacterial colonization. In contrast, under noninflammatory conditions adult MAIT cells remain quiescent because of acquired regulation of TCR signaling. Effects of inflammation and the altered GI microbiota after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) on MAIT cell reconstitution have not been described. We conducted an observational study of MAIT cell reconstitution in myeloablative (n = 41) and nonmyeloablative (n = 66) allogeneic HCT recipients and found that despite a rapid and early increase to a plateau at day 30 after HCT, MAIT cell numbers failed to normalize for at least 1 year. Cord blood transplant recipients and those who received post-HCT cyclophosphamide for graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis had profoundly impaired MAIT cell reconstitution. Sharing of TCRß gene sequences between MAIT cells isolated from HCT grafts and blood of recipients after HCT showed early MAIT cell reconstitution was due at least in part to proliferation of MAIT cells transferred in the HCT graft. Inflammatory cytokines were required for TCR-dependent MAIT cell proliferation, suggesting that bacterial Vα7.2+ TCR ligands might promote MAIT cell reconstitution after HCT. Robust MAIT cell reconstitution was associated with an increased GI abundance of Blautia spp. MAIT cells suppressed proliferation of conventional T cells consistent with a possible regulatory role. Our data identify modifiable factors impacting MAIT cell reconstitution that could influence the risk of GVHD after HCT.

Characteristics and resource utilization of patients presenting to the ED from mass gathering events.

INTRODUCTION: At many mass gathering events (MGEs), emergency medical services decrease the number of patient transfers to the hospital; however, little information is known regarding the characteristics of attendees presenting to or requiring transfer to the emergency department (ED). The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of patients presenting from MGEs to the ED. A secondary aim of this study is to describe ED resources utilized by these patients. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective review evaluating patients attending MGEs who presented to the ED. Electronic medical records of patients seen in the ED of a tertiary academic medical center between October 13, 2013 and December 31, 2015 were reviewed and a descriptive analysis performed. RESULTS: We reviewed and included 209 patients. The majority of patients presenting to the ED were from large outdoor concerts (n=186, 89%), young (median age 20years), single (n=156, 87%) and had no past medical history (n=114, 63%). Alcohol use was reported in a majority (n=140, 78%) and polysubstance use in over a quarter of patients (n=55, 31%). The most frequently administered medications were intravenous fluids (n=94, 52%) and antiemetics (n=59, 33%). The majority of patients (n=161, 89%) were discharged directly from the ED, and median length of stay in the ED was 3.3h [IQR 2.3 to 5.3]. CONCLUSION: Patients presenting to the ED from MGEs generally required minimal medical care beyond supportive management with low rates of hospital admission. Further controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Oxidation of Aromatic Aldehydes to Esters: A Sulfate Radical Redox System.

A mild oxidative esterification of various aromatic aldehydes by sulfate radical redox system was presented. In the reaction pathway exploration, the transiency of MeOSO3- was disclosed, which was generated from esterification between the in situ generated HSO4- and MeOH, a rate-limiting step in the process. More importantly, the selectivity-controlling step was represented by the subsequent nucleophilic displacement between MeOSO3- and aldehydes. The ionic oxidant 1a ((NH4)2S2O8) with more N-H numbers in the cation, as compared with 1c ((n-Bu4N)2S2O8) and 1d ((PyH)2S2O8), has better performance in the oxidative esterification of aldehydes.

Computer-aided analysis of phytochemicals as potential dengue virus inhibitors based on molecular docking, ADMET and DFT studies.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Dengue fever, caused by dengue virus (DENV), has become a serious threat to human lives. Phytochemicals are known to have great potential to eradicate viral, bacterial and fungal-borne diseases in human beings. This study was aimed at in silico drug development against nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) of dengue virus 4 (DENV4). METHODS: A total of 2750 phytochemicals from different medicinal plants were selected for this study. These plants grow naturally in the climate of Pakistan and India and have been used for the treatment of various pathologies in human for long-time. The ADMET studies, molecular docking and density functional theory (DFT) based analysis were carried out to determine the potential inhibitory properties of these phytochemicals. RESULTS: The ADMET analysis and docking results revealed nine phytochemicals, i.e. Silymarin, Flavobion, Derrisin, Isosilybin, Mundulinol, Silydianin, Isopomiferin, Narlumicine and Oxysanguinarine to have potential inhibitory properties against DENV and can be considered for additional in vitro and in vivo studies to assess their inhibitory effects against DENV replication. They exhibited binding affinity ≥ -8 kcal/mol against DENV4-NS4B. Furthermore, DFT based analysis revealed high reactivity for these nine phytochemicals in the binding pocket of DENV4-NS4B, based on ELUMO, EHOMO and band energy gap. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Five out of nine phytochemicals are reported for the first time as novel DENV inhibitors. These included three phytochemicals from Silybum marianum, i.e. Derrisin, Mundulinol, Isopomiferin, and two phytochemicals from Fumaria indica, i.e. Narlumicine and Oxysanguinarine. However, all the nine phytochemicals can be considered for in vitro and in vivo analysis for the development of potential DENV inhibitors.

Bacterial impregnation of mineral fertilizers improves yield and nutrient use efficiency of wheat.

BACKGROUND: The fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) of agricultural crops is generally low, which results in poor crop yields and low economic benefits to farmers. Among the various approaches used to enhance FUE, impregnation of mineral fertilizers with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is attracting worldwide attention. The present study was aimed to improve growth, yield and nutrient use efficiency of wheat by bacterially impregnated mineral fertilizers. RESULTS: Results of the pot study revealed that impregnation of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea with PGPB was helpful in enhancing the growth, yield, photosynthetic rate, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) of wheat. However, the plants treated with F8 type DAP and urea, prepared by coating a slurry of PGPB (Bacillus sp. strain KAP6) and compost on DAP and urea granules at the rate of 2.0 g 100 g-1 fertilizer, produced better results than other fertilizer treatments. In this treatment, growth parameters including plant height, root length, straw yield and root biomass significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased from 58.8 to 70.0 cm, 41.2 to 50.0 cm, 19.6 to 24.2 g per pot and 1.8 to 2.2 g per pot, respectively. The same treatment improved grain yield of wheat by 20% compared to unimpregnated DAP and urea (F0). Likewise, the maximum increase in photosynthetic rate, grain NP content, grain NP uptake, NUE and PUE of wheat were also recorded with F8 treatment. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the application of bacterially impregnated DAP and urea is highly effective for improving growth, yield and FUE of wheat. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microfluidic-based, live-cell analysis allows assessment of NK-cell migration in response to crosstalk with dendritic cells.

Migration and localization of NK cells into peripheral tissues are tightly regulated under normal and pathological conditions. The physiological importance of NK cell-DC crosstalk has been well documented. However, the ways in which DCs regulate the migratory properties of NK cells (such as chemotaxis, chemokinesis, chemo-repulsion) are not fully defined in vitro. Here, we employed a microfluidic platform to examine, at the single-cell level, C57BL/6 NK-cell migrations in a stable chemical gradient. We observed that soluble factors released by the immature and LPS-activated mature DCs induced a high level of chemotactic movement of IL-2-activated NK cells in vitro. We confirmed these findings in a standard trans-well migration assay, and identified CXCR3 as a key receptor on the NK cells that mediated the migration. More interestingly, we revealed a novel function of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in repulsing NK-cell migrations. The future uses of such microfluidic device in the systematic evaluations of NK-cell migratory responses in NK cell-DC crosstalk will provide new insights into the development of DC-based NK-cell therapies against tumor and infections.

Negative and positive association rules mining from text using frequent and infrequent itemsets.

Association rule mining research typically focuses on positive association rules (PARs), generated from frequently occurring itemsets. However, in recent years, there has been a significant research focused on finding interesting infrequent itemsets leading to the discovery of negative association rules (NARs). The discovery of infrequent itemsets is far more difficult than their counterparts, that is, frequent itemsets. These problems include infrequent itemsets discovery and generation of accurate NARs, and their huge number as compared with positive association rules. In medical science, for example, one is interested in factors which can either adjudicate the presence of a disease or write-off of its possibility. The vivid positive symptoms are often obvious; however, negative symptoms are subtler and more difficult to recognize and diagnose. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for discovering positive and negative association rules among frequent and infrequent itemsets. We identify associations among medications, symptoms, and laboratory results using state-of-the-art data mining technology.

General Practitioners' Experience of Remote Consultations by Telephone in the General Practice Setting during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic brought substantial changes in the way doctors used to interact with patients. In the general practice, consultation over the phone has become a norm now. However, it is not well known how this new mode of consultation affected clinicians' practices. Objective of this study was to find out if doctors working in the general practices were trained enough for telephonic consultation and how this new mode of consultation affected their clinical practice in general. It was an online survey. Information was gathered by using an online questionnaire which was sent electronically to general practitioners (GPs) and general practitioner speciality trainees (GPSTs) working in the general practices based in Leicestershire. Data were analyzed by using software SPSS. Descriptive characteristics of participants were reported in terms of numbers and percentages, whereas Chi square test was run to assess if there is a difference between GPs and GPSTs in terms of their experience of remote consultations by telephone. The questionnaire response rate was 69.3% (n = 133/192). Of the total, 54.1% (n = 72/133) of participants were women. About 36% (n = 48/133) of the participants were GPSTs, whereas 64% (n = 85/133) were qualified GPs. Not having enough training for phone consultation, technical issues during consultation, inadequate supervision framework, difficulties in building therapeutic alliance with patients, making diagnosis and risk assessment, and increased duration of consultation were identified as issues. Similarly, concerns around patients' confidentiality and medico legal issues were highlighted. GPs and GPSTs reported similar difficulties. In conclusion, lack of training for the telephonic consultation has been identified as a unanimous issue along with other challenges to phone consultations. There is an urgent need to take measures to make telephone consultation more successful, enjoyable, and safe for patient care by addressing identified issues. Larger studies with representative samples are needed to increase generalizability of our findings.

The origin of genetic diversity of indigenous cockfighting chickens of Pakistan by analyzing the mtDNA.

In Pakistan, the origin of the indigenous cockfighting chicken (ICC) or gamecock population is unknown. However, it is speculated that this might have been associated with domestication, an event linked to recreational, entertainment (cockfighting), religious or ornamental activities. This study aims to understand the origin and genetic diversity of the ICC population in Pakistan. A total of 185 ICC population and 10 captive Indian red junglefowl (Gallus gallus murghi) were analyzed for genetic diversity indices and phylogenetic reconstruction using a 397 bp of mtDNA D-loop region. It is reported that a total of 43 haplotypes from 38 polymorphic nucleotide sites. The haplotype and nucleotide diversity are also estimated in the range of 0.643-0.909, and 0.00585-0.01575, respectively. The total genetic diversity within the population was 91.52%. Four mitochondrial haplogroups A, B, C and D were identified by median-joining network analysis, two of them have high percentages, haplogroup D (81.6%) and A (15.1%). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the ICC population of Pakistan and Gallus gallus murghi shared haplogroup D. The results of this study showed that sub-haplogroup D17a05, has significantly high haplotype diversity and percentage as compared to previously published studies, this indicated that Pakistan might be one of the centres of domestication for chicken, as it is considered that Southeast Asia is the centre of domestication. Frequencies of Haplogroup A also indicate South-North indices. This research work showed that the indigenous cockfighting chicken population of Pakistan is genetically introgressed from Gallus gallus murghi, and significant variations could be attributed to the underlying differences in the geographics, selection pressures, introgression, and regional practices; and multiple origins of cockfighting chickens' populations around the world which reflected the past trading routes between human communities and civilizations.

Development of stable S-scheme 2D-2D g-C3N4/CdS nanoheterojunction arrays for enhanced visible light photomineralisation of nitrophenol priority water pollutants.

The investigation focused on creating and studying a new 2D-2D S-scheme CdS/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst. Various techniques examined its structure, composition, and optical properties. This included XRD, XPS, EDS, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, DRS, and PL. The heterojunction showed a reduced charge recombination rate and more excellent stability, helping to lessen photocorrosion. This was due to photogenerated holes moving more quickly out of the CdS valence band. The interface between g-C3N4 and CdS favored a synergistic charge transfer. A suitable flat band potential measurement supported enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in degrading 4-nitrophenol and 2-nitrophenol. This resulted in remarkable degradation efficiency of up to 99% and mineralization of up to 79%. The findings highlighted the practical design of the new 2D-2D S-scheme CdS/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst and its potential application in various energy and environmental settings, such as pollutant removal, hydrogen production, and CO2 conversion.