Obstructive hydrocephalus due to developmental venous anomalies: a pediatric imaging case series.

PURPOSE: Developmental venous anomalies are a rare cause of obstructive hydrocephalus in the pediatric population. In this study, we present the most extensive case series of DVA-induced obstructive hydrocephalus in the pediatric population. We thoroughly describe the imaging findings related to this uncommon entity and comprehensively discuss its clinical presentation and management strategies. The goal is to alert pediatric neuroradiologists to consider this rare condition in the differential diagnosis of hydrocephalus, particularly during prenatal screening or in pediatric cases. METHODS: The electronic patient record systems of 2 tertiary care children's hospitals were reviewed to identify pediatric patients with confirmed DVAs leading to obstructive hydrocephalus. Age at diagnosis, gender, MRI findings (including location of the obstruction), clinical presentation, and symptoms were recorded. Data on treatment and follow-up imaging were also collected. RESULTS: The search yielded 5 cases of pediatric patients with DVA-induced obstructive hydrocephalus. The mean age at diagnosis of the DVA was 2.9 years (range: 0-7 years), and in two cases, ventriculomegaly was diagnosed in utero during prenatal cranial ultrasound screenings. In all patients, the DVA caused stenosis of the aqueduct of Sylvius, and one case presented with multiple DVAs. CONCLUSIONS: Although aqueductal stenosis caused by a DVA is rare, it is crucial to consider it in the differential diagnosis of hydrocephalus during prenatal screening or in the pediatric population. Brain MRI, especially post-contrast T1WI, and SWI sequences are particularly valuable for visualizing the typical "caput medusae" appearance of DVAs and detecting associated complications such as hemorrhages.

Designing Impact Resistance and Robustness into Slippery Lubricant Infused Porous Surfaces.

Slippery lubricant infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have the potential to address daunting challenges such as undesirable surface fouling/biofouling, icing, etc. However, the depletion of lubricants hampers their practical utility. As a solution, here a rational strategy is introduced that operates synergistically in three parts. First, ultra-high capillary pressure is exploited from the reticular structure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with sub-nanometer pores. Second, the need for geometric compatibility is demonstrated; the lubricant chain diameter must be smaller than the MOF pore to enable lubricant chain intercalation. Lastly, the MOF pore chemistry is tailored to achieve a strong intermolecular interaction for any given MOF/lubricant combination. The strategy is investigated through experiments and quantum/molecular simulations, which show that the approach helps lock the intercalated lubricant chains inside the MOF pores and forms a non-conventional supramolecular structure. The resulting SLIPS (including those with fluorine-free chemistry) not only show typical low wetting hysteresis, friction, and ice adhesion but are uniquely resistant to more stringent tests such as continuous dripping and sliding of water droplets (up to 50 hrs), repeated impacts of high-speed water jets (liquid impact Weber number > 4 × 104) and prevent bacterial biofilm formation even in dynamic flow conditions. The findings may widen the practical applications of SLIPS.

Inconsistencies in the Indian Guidelines for the Prescription of Antibiotics for Critically Ill Patients.

The recently formulated guidelines by Khilnani GC et al. for the prescription of antibiotics for critically ill patients present an extensive compilation of evidence and recommendations. Despite their comprehensive nature, several inconsistencies need addressing. In this commentary, we delve into some of these discrepancies in the order in which they appeared in the guidelines, starting with the misrepresentation of "nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)" and "mini BAL" as different techniques when they are, in fact, identical. Secondly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the year 2013 replaced the older, unreliable ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) definition with ventilator-associated events (VAE). This new VAE definition eliminates subjectivity in pneumonia diagnosis by focusing on objective criteria for ventilator support changes, avoiding dependence on potentially inaccurate chest X-rays and inconsistent medical record keeping. Thus, using the term VAP in the Indian guidelines seems regressive. Furthermore, the recommendation for routine anaerobic coverage in aspiration pneumonia is outdated and unsupported by current evidence. Lastly, while endorsing multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for pathogen identification, the guidelines fail to adequately address its limitations and the risk of overdiagnosis. How to cite this article: Raj N, Nath SS, Singh V, Agarwal J. Inconsistencies in the Indian Guidelines for the Prescription of Antibiotics for Critically Ill Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(10):908-911.

Proteomic characterization of 1,000 human and murine neutrophils freshly isolated from blood and sites of sterile inflammation.

Neutrophils are indispensable for defense against pathogens. Injured tissue-infiltrated neutrophils can establish a niche of chronic inflammation and promote degeneration. Studies investigated transcriptome of single-infiltrated neutrophils which could misinterpret molecular states of these post mitotic cells. However, neutrophil proteome characterization has been challenging due to low harvests from affected tissues. Here, we present a workflow to obtain proteome of 1,000 murine and human tissue-infiltrated neutrophils. We generated spectral libraries containing ∼6,200 mouse and ∼5,300 human proteins from circulating neutrophils. 4,800 mouse and 3,400 human proteins were recovered from 1,000 cells with 102-108 copies/cell. Neutrophils from stroke-affected mouse brains adapted to the glucose-deprived environment with increased mitochondrial activity and ROS-production while cells invading inflamed human oral cavities increased phagocytosis and granule release. We provide an extensive protein repository for resting human and mouse neutrophils, identify proteins lost in low input samples, thus enabling the proteomic characterization of limited tissue infiltrated neutrophils.

Synthesis and anticancer evaluation of diaryl pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine /alkyl substituted pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives as thymidylate synthase inhibitors.

Worldwide, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a crucial component of DNA biosynthesis and has drawn interest as an essential target for cancer treatment. In the current work, we have designed and synthesized twenty-eight new diaryl-based pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine/alkyl-substituted pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives and evaluated their anticancer activity against the HCT 116, MCF-7, Hep G2, and PC-3 cell lines cell lines. Additionally, we have carried out TS inhibitory activity and in silico studies for compounds 1n and 2j. All the synthesized compounds exhibited good anticancer activity, but among them, compounds 1n and 2j showed excellent anticancer activity, having IC50 values of 1.98 ± 0.69, 2.18 ± 0.93, 4.04 ± 1.06, and 4.18 ± 1.87 µM; and 1.48 ± 0.86, 3.18 ± 0.79, 3.44 ± 1.51, and 5.18 ± 1.85 µM, against the HCT 116, MCF-7, Hep G2, and PC-3 cell lines respectively with control raltitrexed (IC50 1.07 ± 1.08, 1.98 ± 0.72, 1.34 ± 1.0, and 3.09 ± 0.96 µM, respectively) and hTS inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 20.47 ± 1.09 and 13.48 ± 0.96 nM with control raltitrexed (IC50 14.95 ± 1.01 nM). Further, the mechanism of inhibition was revealed by molecular docking, which showed the binding pattern of 1n and 2j to the catalytic site of TS with docking scores of -10.6 and - 9.5 kcal/mol, respectively, with reference raltitrexed (-9.4 kcal/mol). Additionally, the assessment of physicochemical, biochemical, structural, and toxicological characteristics were also in the acceptable range for these compounds. Based on the anticancer activity of compounds, SAR was also performed for lead optimization.

Photochemical pincer-catalyzed reductive cyclisation towards indolines and oxindoles.

An organophotocatalytic method has been described towards the synthesis of indolines and oxindoles starting from unusual α-chloro amide and N-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-alkyl methacrylamide substrates. This marks a notable improvement since the earlier syntheses utilized iridium and gold catalysts, and involved C-I or C-Br bond cleavage as the initial step. Our photocatalyst is a pincer ligand that can be easily deprotonated to make a very strong reducing agent. The reductive cleavage of the carbon-chloride bond, and subsequent 5-exo-trig ring cyclization, followed by hydrogen atom abstraction, prepare the desired heterocycles under very mild reaction conditions. An atom economic use of KOtBu has been shown to demonstrate the unusual trifunctional role of the latter.

Healthcare-associated Diarrhea due to Clostridioides difficile in Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of North India.

Background: Healthcare-associated diarrhea (HCAD) is diarrhea that develops at least after 3 days of hospitalization, with the most common infectious cause being Clostridioides difficile. Over the last decade, there has been a remarkable growth in the frequency and severity of C. difficile infection (CDI), making it one of the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence and risk factors associated with CDI. Materials and methods: A total of 107 patients with clinical suspicion of having HCAD were included in this study. Enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) technique-based glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin A/B assay were used as per the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) for diagnosing CDI. The details about associated comorbidities were retrieved from the hospital information system records. The presence of risk factors was noted. Risk factors associated with CDI were looked for. Results: Out of the 107 stool samples received in the microbiology laboratory from patients with suspected HCAD eight (7.6%) samples were positive for CDI. The most frequent comorbidity observed in these patients was renal illness (acute or chronic kidney disease). In this study, a total of 7/8 cases were on multiple antibiotics most common being carbapenem. Conclusion: The 6-year prevalence of CDI observed in this study was found to be 7.6% risk factors, associated with CDI were kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, and exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics. How to cite this article: Raj N, Agarwal J, Singh V, et al. Healthcare-associated Diarrhea due to Clostridioides difficile in Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of North India. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2024;14(1):60-64.

One year experience of an emerging nosocomial pathogen Elizabethkingia meningoseptica at a tertiary care hospital in Northern India: A case series.

Elizabethkingia spp. is a rare catalase and oxidase positive nonfermenting, Gram-negative Bacillus that has traditionally been linked to an array of illnesses in immunocompromised individuals. This case series reports seven cases of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica infections from a tertiary care teaching hospital. The subjects ranged in age from 23 to 75 years. Associated risk factors included a recent history of surgery, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, use of mechanical ventilation, and presence of an indwelling central line. All seven cases acquired infection in the intensive care unit, and the isolates were resistant to penicillin, third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides and showed varied susceptibility to piperacillin-tazobactam, carbapenems, and fluoroquinolones.

A Retrospective Observational Study of the Microbial Etiology and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Blood Cultures From ICU Patients at a Healthcare Facility in North India.

Introduction Bloodstream infections (BSI) are a leading source of fatalities and morbidity in hospitals. However, the clinical spectrum and antimicrobial resistance differ globally. Identifying the pathogenic spectrum and variations in antibiotic resistance is crucial for controlling BSI and preventing inappropriate antibiotic use. Material and methods This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, UP, India, for one year between June 2022 and June 2023. A total of 669 adult patients' blood cultures were obtained from ICUs. Blood culture was done using a BacT/Alert 3D (BioMérieux SA, Marcy-l'Étoile, France) automated system. Identification of the bacterial as well as fungal isolates was done using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and the antimicrobial susceptibility profile was analyzed using the VITEK 2 Compact system (BioMérieux SA). Results Of the 669 blood culture samples, 213 (31.8%) showed bacterial or fungal growth. Of these 213 isolates, the most common isolate was coagulase-negative Staphylococci (21.6%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (19.3%) and Acinetobacter spp. (17.8%). The majority of gram-negative bacteria were resistant to most drugs, and vancomycin and linezolid were both effective against the majority of gram-positive bacteria. Conclusion The current study found that septicemia was more frequently caused by gram-negative bacteria than by gram-positive bacteria. Blood cultures are always necessary in cases of suspected septicemia, and once the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the pathogen causing septicemia has been determined, suitable antimicrobials should be prescribed and used to lower the antimicrobial resistance burden.

Evaluation of Direct Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing from Positive Flagged Blood Cultures in Sepsis Patients.

Background: Presently, many laboratories are equipped with automated system for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for minimum inhibitory concentration-based reporting which enables the clinician to choose the right antimicrobial for timely treatment of sepsis. The study aimed to assess performance of direct AST from blood culture positive broth using automated AST system for accuracy and time taken to release the report. Materials and methods: The present study conducted in a 25-bedded ICU in North India for 12 months. Single morphotype of bacteria on gram stain from positively flagged blood culture bottles were included, which was directly identified (using an in-house protocol) with MALDI-TOF-MS from positive blood culture broths. DAST was carried out from 200 such blood culture broths and results were compared with reference AST (RAST) which was also done using VITEK-2 using overnight grown bacterial colonies as per standard protocol. Results: Among 60 isolates of Enterobacterales, 99% categorical agreement for both E. coli and K. pneumoniae observed by two methods were tested for AST. Among non-fermenters, Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a categorical agreement of 99.6%, as compared with Acinetobacter spp. and exotic GNBs, which showed 95-96% agreement. A significant difference of 18-24 hours was noted in time to release the report between DAST and RAST, for GNB and GPC both. Conclusion: Direct AST from positive flagged blood culture bottles can significantly reduce the time to release the bacterial susceptibility report by up to 24 hours, at the same time maintaining the accuracy. How to cite this article: Singh V, Agarwal J, Nath SS, Sharma A. Evaluation of Direct Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing from Positive Flagged Blood Cultures in Sepsis Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(4):387-392.

Identification of primary metabolites in fungal species of Trichophyton mentagrophyte and Trichophyton rubrum by NMR spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Superficial mycoses are fungal infections limited to the outermost layers of the skin and its appendages. The chief causative agents of these mycoses are dermatophytes and yeasts. The diagnosis of dermatophytosis can be made by direct mycological examination with potassium hydroxide (10%-30%) of biological material obtained from patients with suspected mycosis, providing results more rapid than fungal cultures, which may take days or weeks. This information, together with clinical history and laboratory diagnosis, ensures that the appropriate treatment is initiated promptly. However, false negative results are obtained in 5%-15%, by conventional methods of diagnosis of dermatophytosis. OBJECTIVES: To study the metabolic profiles of the commonly occurring dermatophytes by NMR spectroscopy. PATIENTS/MATERIALS: We have used 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments along with Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) and Chenomx database search for identification of primary metabolites in the methanol extract of two fungal species: Trichophyton mentagrophyte (T. mentagrophyte) and Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum). Both standard strains and representative number of clinical isolates of these two species were investigated. Further, metabolic profiles obtained were analysed using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: We have identified 23 metabolites in the T. mentagrophyte and another 23 metabolites in T. rubrum. Many important metabolites like trehalose, proline, mannitol, acetate, GABA and several other amino acids were detected, which provide the necessary components for fungal growth and metabolism. Altered metabolites were defined between Trichophyton mentagrophyte and T. rubrum strains. CONCLUSION: We have detected many metabolites in the two fungal species T. mentagrophyte and T. rubrum by using NMR spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy provides a holistic snapshot of the metabolome of an organism. Key metabolic differences were identified between the two fungal strains. We need to perform more studies on metabolite profiling of the samples from these species for their rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment.

Multielectron Redox Afforded by a Pincer Ligand Promoting Kumada Cross-Coupling Reactions.

The redox-active nature of a pincer has been exploited to conduct C-C cross-coupling reactions under mild conditions. A nickel complex with a NNN pincer was dimeric in the solid state, and the structure displayed a Ni2 N2 diamond core. In the dimeric structure, both ligand backbones house an electron, in the iminosemiquinonate form, to keep the metal's oxidation state at +2. In the presence of an aryl Grignard reagent, only 3 mol % loading the nickel complex generates a Kumada cross-coupled product in good yield from a wide variety of aryl-X (X= I, Br, Cl) substrates. That the ligand-based radical remains responsible for promoting such a coupling reaction following a radical pathway is suggested by TEMPO quenching. Furthermore, a radical-clock experiment along with tracing product distribution unambiguously supported the radical's involvement through the catalytic cycle. A series of thorough mechanistic probation, including computational DFT analysis, disclosed the cooperative action of both redox-active pincer ligand and the metal centre to drive the reaction.

ComplexEye: a multi-lens array microscope for high-throughput embedded immune cell migration analysis.

Autonomous migration is essential for the function of immune cells such as neutrophils and plays an important role in numerous diseases. The ability to routinely measure or target it would offer a wealth of clinical applications. Video microscopy of live cells is ideal for migration analysis, but cannot be performed at sufficiently high-throughput (HT). Here we introduce ComplexEye, an array microscope with 16 independent aberration-corrected glass lenses spaced at the pitch of a 96-well plate to produce high-resolution movies of migrating cells. With the system, we enable HT migration analysis of immune cells in 96- and 384-well plates with very energy-efficient performance. We demonstrate that the system can measure multiple clinical samples simultaneously. Furthermore, we screen 1000 compounds and identify 17 modifiers of migration in human neutrophils in just 4 days, a task that requires 60-times longer with a conventional video microscope. ComplexEye thus opens the field of phenotypic HT migration screens and enables routine migration analysis for the clinical setting.

Precision Covalent Organic Frameworks for Surface Nucleation Control.

Unwanted accumulation of ice and lime scale crystals on surfaces is a long-standing challenge with major economic and sustainability implications. Passive inhibition of icing and scaling by liquid-repellent surfaces are often inadequate, susceptible to surface failure under harsh conditions, and unsuitable for long-term/real-life usages. Such surfaces often require a multiplicity of additional features such as optical transparency, robust impact resistance, and ability to prevent contamination from low surface energy liquids. Unfortunately, most promising advances have relied on using perfluoro compounds, which are bio-persistent and/or highly toxic. Here it is shown that organic, reticular mesoporous structures, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), may offer a solution. By exploiting simple and scalable synthesis of defect-free COFs and rational post-synthetic functionalization, nanocoatings with precision nanoporosity (morphology) are prepared that can inhibit nucleation at the molecular level without compromising the related contamination prevention and robustness. The results offer a simple strategy to exploit the nanoconfinement effect, which remarkably delays the nucleation of ice and scale formation on surfaces. Ice nucleation is suppressed down to -28 °C, scale formation is avoided for >2 weeks in supersaturated conditions, and jets of organic solvents impacting at Weber numbers >105 are resisted with surfaces that also offer optical transparency (>92%).

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) as an Indispensable Tool in Diagnostic Bacteriology: A Comparative Analysis With Conventional Technique.

INTRODUCTION: Owing to its accurate diagnosis, rapid turnaround time, cost effectivity, and less rates of error, Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) has replaced most of the phenotypic methods of identification. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare and evaluate MALDI-TOF MS to conventional biochemical-to identify bacterial microorganisms. METHODS: Different bacterial species isolated from 2010 to 2018 (pre-MALDI-TOF era), using routine bio-chemicals were compared to bacterial species isolated from 2019 to August 2021 (post MALDI-TOF), using MALDI-TOF, in the microbiology laboratory of a tertiary care hospital in North India. Chi-Square test (χ2) was used for the evaluation of bacterial identification between biochemical tests and MALDI-TOF MS association with a 95% confidence interval, considering wrong identification in genera or at a species level. RESULTS: Many different and new genera and species of bacteria could be identified using MALDI-TOF, which was not possible using only routine manual bio-chemicals like Kocuria rhizophilus, Rothia mucilaginosa, Enterococcus casseliflavus, Enterococcus gallinarum, Leuconostoc, Leclercia adecarboxylata, Raoultella ornithological, Cryseobacterium indologenes. Conclusion: Each of the newly identified bacteria played an important role in deciding treatment. Wide use of the MALDI-TOF system will not only strengthen diagnostic stewardship but also encourage antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Unexplored Facet of Pincer Ligands: Super-Reductant Behavior Applied to Transition-Metal-Free Catalysis.

Pincer ligands are well-established supporting ancillaries to afford robust coordination to metals across the periodic table. Despite their widespread use in developing homogeneous catalysts, the redox noninnocence of the ligand backbone is less utilized in steering catalytic transformations. This report showcases a trianionic, symmetric NNN-pincer to drive C-C cross-coupling reactions and heterocycle formation via C-H functionalization, without any coordination to transition metals. The starting substrates are aryl chlorides that can tease the limit of a catalyst's ability to promote a reductive cleavage at a much demanding potential of -2.90 V vs SCE. The reducing power of the simple trianionic ligand backbone has been tremendously amplified by shining visible light on it. The catalyst's success relies on its easy access to the one-electron oxidized iminosemiquinonate form that has been thoroughly characterized by X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy through spectroelectrochemical experiments. The moderately long-lived excited-state lifetime (10.2 ns) and such a super-reductive ability dependent on the one-electron redox shuttle between the bisamido and iminosemiquinonato forms make this catalysis effective.

Alzheimer's disease: Molecular aspects and treatment opportunities using herbal drugs.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), also called senile dementia, is the most common neurological disorder. Around 50 million people, mostly of advanced age, are suffering from dementia worldwide and this is expected to reach 100-130 million between 2040 and 2050. AD is characterized by impaired glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmission, which is associated with clinical and pathological symptoms. AD is characterized clinically by loss of cognition and memory impairment and pathologically by senile plaques formed by Amyloid ß deposits or neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) consisting of aggregated tau proteins. Amyloid ß deposits are responsible for glutamatergic dysfunction that develops NMDA dependent Ca2+ influx into postsynaptic neurons generating slow excitotoxicity process leading to oxidative stress and finally impaired cognition and neuronal loss. Amyloid decreases acetylcholine release, synthesis and neuronal transport. The decreased levels of neurotransmitter acetylcholine, neuronal loss, tau aggregation, amyloid ß plaques, increased oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, bio-metal dyshomeostasis, autophagy, cell cycle dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction are the factors responsible for the pathogenesis of AD. Acetylcholinesterase, NMDA, Glutamate, BACE1, 5HT6, and RAGE (Receptors for Advanced Glycation End products) are receptors targeted in treatment of AD. The FDA approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitors Donepezil, Galantamine and Rivastigmine and N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist Memantine provide symptomatic relief. Different therapies such as amyloid ß therapies, tau-based therapies, neurotransmitter-based therapies, autophagy-based therapies, multi-target therapeutic strategies, and gene therapy modify the natural course of the disease. Herbal and food intake is also important as preventive strategy and recently focus has also been placed on herbal drugs for treatment. This review focuses on the molecular aspects, pathogenesis and recent studies that signifies the potential of medicinal plants and their extracts or chemical constituents for the treatment of degenerative symptoms related to AD.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and in Silico Studies of 3-Hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide Derivatives.

In the present study, a series of 3-hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide derivatives were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for theirin vitroactivity, i. e., antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The target compounds were synthesized by condensation reaction of 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid hydrazide with substituted benzaldehydes which were subjected to cyclization reaction with thioglycolic acid and ZnCl2 to get target compounds. The synthesized 3-hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide derivatives were examined for their antimicrobial activity and 3-hydroxy-N-(4-oxo-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)thiazolidin-3-yl)-2-naphthamide (S20) exhibited the highest antimicrobial potential. The N'-(2,3-dichlorobenzylidene)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthohydrazide (S5) displayed good antifungal potential against Rhizopus oryzae, whereas N'-(2,3-dichlorobenzylidene)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthohydrazide (S20) showed the highest antioxidant potential and N-(2-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-3-hydroxy-2-naphthamide (S16) displayed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. The results of molecular docking studies revealed that existence of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions with their respective proteins. In silico ADMET studies were carried out by Molinspiration, Pre-ADMET and OSIRIS property explorer to predict the pharmacokinetic behaviour of synthesized 3-hydroxy-N-(2-(substituted phenyl)-4-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-napthamide derivatives.

Rapid and fully automated blood vasculature analysis in 3D light-sheet image volumes of different organs.

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) can produce high-resolution tomograms of tissue vasculature with high accuracy. However, data processing and analysis is laborious due to the size of the datasets. Here, we introduce VesselExpress, an automated software that reliably analyzes six characteristic vascular network parameters including vessel diameter in LSFM data on average computing hardware. VesselExpress is ∼100 times faster than other existing vessel analysis tools, requires no user interaction, and integrates batch processing and parallelization. Employing an innovative dual Frangi filter approach, we show that obesity induces a large-scale modulation of brain vasculature in mice and that seven other major organs differ strongly in their 3D vascular makeup. Hence, VesselExpress transforms LSFM from an observational to an analytical working tool.