Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) in health and disease: a critical review.

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (Family Moraceae), is a tropical tree, native to India and common in Asia, Africa, and several regions in South America. The fruit is commonly known as jackfruit which is one of the largest edible fruits in the world. Jackfruits comprises a wide range of nutrients, including minerals, carbohydrates, volatile compounds, proteins, and vitamins. The fruit, bark, leaves, and roots are endowed with therapeutic attributes and are utilized in the many traditional medicinal systems for the management of various ailments. Fruit and seeds are commonly used to prepare various food items, including sauce, ice creams, jams, jellies, and marmalades. Due to unique texture, jackfruit is becoming a popular meat substitute. Based on preclinical studies, jackfruit exhibits antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-melanin, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiviral, anthelmintic, wound-healing, and antineoplastic activities. Clinical studies reveal that the leaves possess antidiabetic action in healthy and insulin-independent diabetic individuals. Despite numerous health benefits, regrettably, jackfruit has not been properly utilized in a marketable scale in areas where it is produced. This review delivers an updated, comprehensive, and critical evaluation on the nutritional value, phytochemical profiling, pharmacological attributes and underlying mechanisms of action to explore the full potential of jackfruit in health and disease.

Non-Heme-Iron-Mediated Selective Halogenation of Unactivated Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds.

Oxidation of the iron(II) precursor [(L1 )FeII Cl2 ], where L1 is a tetradentate bispidine, with soluble iodosylbenzene (s PhIO) leads to the extremely reactive ferryl oxidant [(L1 )(Cl)FeIV =O]+ with a cis disposition of the chlorido and oxido coligands, as observed in non-heme halogenase enzymes. Experimental data indicate that, with cyclohexane as substrate, there is selective formation of chlorocyclohexane, the halogenation being initiated by C-H abstraction and the result of a rebound of the ensuing radical to an iron-bound Cl- . The time-resolved formation of the halogenation product indicates that this primarily results from s PhIO oxidation of an initially formed oxido-bridged diiron(III) resting state. The high yield of up to >70 % (stoichiometric reaction) as well as the differing reactivities of free Fe2+ and Fe3+ in comparison with [(L1 )FeII Cl2 ] indicate a high complex stability of the bispidine-iron complexes. DFT analysis shows that, due to a large driving force and small triplet-quintet gap, [(L1 )(Cl)FeIV =O]+ is the most reactive small-molecule halogenase model, that the FeIII /radical rebound intermediate has a relatively long lifetime (as supported by experimentally observed cage escape), and that this intermediate has, as observed experimentally, a lower energy barrier to the halogenation than the hydroxylation product; this is shown to primarily be due to steric effects.

Amalgamated Microneedle Array Bearing Ribociclib-Loaded Transfersomes Eradicates Breast Cancer via CD44 Targeting.

HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is one of the most common and life-threatening conditions diagnosed in women. The endocrine therapy using an orally active CDK4/6 inhibitor, ribociclib (RB), is the most intriguing approach for treating HR+/HER2- MBC. However, the repeated three to six cycles of multiple dosing and non-targeted distribution of RB led to severe neutropenia; hepatobiliary, gastrointestinal, and renal toxicities, and QT interval prolongation. Here, a novel organic solvent-free HA-PVA-PVP (hyaluronic acid-polyvinyl alcohol-polyvinyl pyrrolidone) composed of a microneedle (MN) array is formulated to deliver RB, integrated with amphiphilic conjugated polymer (HA-GMS)-anchored ultradeformable transfersomes. This unique MN array efficiently crafts microchannels in the skin, allowing HA-RB-Ts to internalize into the tumor cells through lymphatic and systemic absorption and interact with CD44 both spatially and temporally with an amplification of drug release time up to 6-folds. The pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies portray drug concentrations within the therapeutic window as long as 48 h, facilitating thrice-a-week frequency with the lower dose, and rule out severe toxicities, with a significant reduction in 8.3-fold RB concentration in vital organs that ultimately enhances the survival rate. Thus, the novel MN system pursues a unique embeddable feature and offers an effective, self-administrable, biodegradable, and chronic treatment option for patients requiring long-term cancer treatments.

Chlorogenic acid for cancer prevention and therapy: Current status on efficacy and mechanisms of action.

Chlorogenic acid (CA), also known as 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, is a dietary phenolic acid produced by various plant species. CA, is the most ubiquitous compound among the phenolic acid group, is also present in tea and green coffee extracts. Its consumption reduces the risk of numerous diseases as validated by preclinical and clinical studies. CA possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties, such as hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. It has been extensively used in the food, chemical, medicine, and health care industries. Available reports revealed that CA can exert anticancer activity by inhibiting the cell cycle, triggering apoptosis, and suppressing the proliferation of cancer cells. It upregulates the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (NFATC2) and NFATC3 genes involved in immune pathway and downregulates B cell-specific moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 protein and SRY-box transcription factor 2 gene expression to facilitate tumor cell destruction. It promotes intracellular DNA impairment and topoisomerase I- and topoisomerase-II-DNA complex formation that perform a key function in apoptosis. In addition, CA has been documented to be an effective natural anticancer drug and was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration. Several previously published reports have provided fragmented summary of various anticancer activities of CA. Therefore, this review aims to deliver up-to-date and comprehensive assessment about the natural sources of CA, its bioavailability, metabolism, and anticancer property with an emphasis on the molecular mechanisms associated with several signaling pathways in tumor cells.

Health-promoting and disease-mitigating potential of Verbascum thapsus L. (common mullein): A review.

Medicinal plants represent rich sources of traditional medicines and numerous currently used medicines are either directly or indirectly derived from plants. Verbascum thapsus L. (great mullein or common mullein), a medicinal herb indigenous to northern Africa, western and central Asia, and Europe, has been brought to the Americas and Australia. It has been used as a medicine for lung, skin and throat disorders and has a long history of therapeutic importance, particularly as an astringent and calming agent. Presently, the dried leaves, flowers, various plant extracts and flower oil are used in several formulations within Indian traditional medicine. An extract taken from the roots is useful in minimizing toothache, and it also relieves stiffness and seizures. V. thapsus contains a wide variety of phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids, iridoid, phenylethanoid and phenylpropanoid glycosides, saponins, as well as vitamin C and minerals. The most valuable constituents are coumarin and hesperidin, which possess healing properties. Emerging literature based on experimental studies on V. thapsus demonstrates various biological and pharmacological properties, including antiviral, antioxidant, analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, hypnotic, antibacterial, antifungal, as well as anticancer activities. The present review provides an updated, comprehensive, and critical evaluation of various health-promoting and disease-mitigating properties of V. thapsus.

Compare the efficacy of recommended peripheral intravascular cannula insertion practices with a standard protocol: A randomized control trial.

Background: Millions of patients admitted globally in health care setups require insertion of peripheral intravascular catheter for intravenous drugs or fluid administration. However, if proper precautions are not followed during insertion, it results in significant morbidity. This study was designed to study the efficacy and safety of recommended Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for peripheral intravascular catheter insertion practice and its comparison with a standard insertion protocol being followed and their outcome. Methods: Patients were randomized and catheter was inserted as recommended by CDC guideline (Group 1, n = 100) or followed standard defined steps during insertion (Group 2, n = 100). Results: Almost double the patients had occurrence of thrombophlebitis in Group 1 (p = 0.02). No difference observed between catheter needle size and infection rates (p = 0.3). Infection rate increased significantly if second attempt is taken for insertion. The time required to insert catheter following CDC recommended protocol is less than as by standard surgical complete asepsis cleaning protocol (86.03 vs 109.40 s) (p = 0.001). Study also observed that insertion at wrist joint leads to higher incidence of thrombophlebitis. During 0-24 h, 6% (12) insertions turned positive followed by a dip during 25-48 h, 2% (5) insertions. 80% (159) insertions did not develop thrombophlebitis at the end of 72 h. Conclusion: It is thus amply demonstrated that meticulous adherence to insertion procedure with asepsis plays an important role in decreasing intravascular catheter associated morbidity. Other parameters like needle gauge, sites of insertion, have little bearing. The time required in following standard aseptic technique is significantly more but keeping in view the benefit to the patient it is highly recommended.

Effects of immunomodulatory drugs on depressive symptoms: A mega-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials in inflammatory disorders.

Activation of the innate immune system is commonly associated with depression. Immunomodulatory drugs may have efficacy for depressive symptoms that are co-morbidly associated with inflammatory disorders. We report a large-scale re-analysis by standardized procedures (mega-analysis) of patient-level data combined from 18 randomized clinical trials conducted by Janssen or GlaxoSmithKline for one of nine disorders (N = 10,743 participants). Core depressive symptoms (low mood, anhedonia) were measured by the Short Form Survey (SF-36) or the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and participants were stratified into high (N = 1921) versus low-depressive strata based on baseline ratings. Placebo-controlled change from baseline after 4-16 weeks of treatment was estimated by the standardized mean difference (SMD) over all trials and for each subgroup of trials targeting one of 7 mechanisms (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-12/23, CD20, COX2, BLγS, p38/MAPK14). Patients in the high depressive stratum showed modest but significant effects on core depressive symptoms (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI [0.12-0.45]) and related SF-36 measures of mental health and vitality. Anti-IL-6 antibodies (SMD = 0.8, 95% CI [0.20-1.41]) and an anti-IL-12/23 antibody (SMD = 0.48, 95% CI [0.26-0.70]) had larger effects on depressive symptoms than other drug classes. Adjustments for physical health outcome marginally attenuated the average treatment effect on depressive symptoms (SMD = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.06-0.35), but more strongly attenuated effects on mental health and vitality. Effects of anti-IL-12/23 remained significant and anti-IL-6 antibodies became a trend after controlling for physical response to treatment. Novel immune-therapeutics can produce antidepressant effects in depressed patients with primary inflammatory disorders that are not entirely explained by treatment-related changes in physical health.

Serrated polyp detection rate and advanced adenoma detection rate from a US multicenter cohort.

BACKGROUND: Interval colorectal cancers may be associated with a low serrated polyp detection rate (SDR) and advanced adenoma detection rate (AADR). We aimed to determine the SDR and AADR for endoscopists in a United States multicenter cohort. METHODS: We included average-risk screening colonoscopies from five medical centers in the United States. Endoscopists with data on at least 100 average-risk screening colonoscopies were included. We calculated median SDR and AADR for endoscopists with adequate adenoma detection rates (ADRs) > 25 %. We analyzed the relationship between ADR and SDR, and between ADR and AADR using nonparametric Spearman correlation coefficients, scatter plots, and linear regression. RESULTS: We included 3513 screening colonoscopies performed by 26 gastroenterologists. The mean age of patients was 56.8 years (SD 7.4) and 1585 (45 %) were male. All but one endoscopist had an ADR above 25 %. There was a significant positive but modest correlation between ADR and SDR (rho = 0.67, P < 0.01), and between ADR and AADR (rho = 0.56, P < 0.01). For endoscopists with an adequate ADR, median (interquartile range) ADR was 43 % (32.0 % - 48.6 %), median SDR was 8.4 % (7.3 % - 11.4 %), and median AADR was 9.3 % (6.4 % - 12.6 %). CONCLUSION: A significant percentage of endoscopists have either a low SDR or low AADR despite an adequate ADR, justifying the need for separate SDR and AADR benchmarks. Based on our multicenter cohort, endoscopists with adequate ADRs had a median SDR and median AADR of about 8 % and 9 %, respectively.

The effects of GSK2981710, a medium-chain triglyceride, on cognitive function in healthy older participants: A randomised, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, two-part study assessed the impact of GSK2981710, a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) that liberates ketone bodies, on cognitive function, safety, and tolerability in healthy older adults. METHODS: Part 1 was a four-period dose-selection study (n = 8 complete). Part 2 was a two-period crossover study (n = 80 complete) assessing the acute (Day 1) and prolonged (Day 15) effects of GSK2981710 on cognition and memory-related neuronal activity. Safety and tolerability of MCT supplementation were monitored in both parts of the study. RESULTS: The most common adverse event was diarrhoea (100% and 75% of participants in Parts 1 and 2, respectively). Most adverse events were mild to moderate, and 11% participants were withdrawn due to one or more adverse events. Although GSK2981710 (30 g/day) resulted in increased peak plasma ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations, no significant improvements in cognitive function or memory-related neuronal activity were observed. CONCLUSION: Over a duration of 14 days, increasing plasma BHB levels with daily administration of GSK2981710 had no effects on neuronal activity or cognitive function. This result indicates that modulating plasma ketone levels with GSK2981710 may be ineffective in improving cognitive function in healthy older adults, or the lack of observed effect could be related to several factors including study population, plasma BHB concentrations, MCT composition, or treatment duration.

Effect of mucostatic and selective pressure impression techniques on residual ridge resorption in individuals with different bone mineral densities: A prospective clinical pilot study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Although different impression techniques have been advocated for complete denture prosthodontics, objective studies that predict their effect on alveolar bone resorption are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this prospective clinical pilot study was to objectively evaluate the effect of complete dentures fabricated by different impression techniques on mandibular residual ridge resorption in individuals with different bone mineral density. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-six participants with edentulism, selected according to inclusion criteria, underwent bone mineral density assessment and were divided into normal, osteopenic, and osteoporotic groups. Half of the participants in each group were provided with dentures fabricated by selective pressure impression technique (subgroup SIT), and the other half were provided with dentures fabricated by mucostatic impression technique (subgroup MIT). Computed tomographic scans of the mandible were made at denture delivery and 1 year after prosthesis use to assess alveolar bone height and width difference at marked locations at and after denture delivery. The data obtained were analyzed with the Student t test (α=.05). RESULTS: Significantly less reduction in mandibular ridge height and width was found in the MIT versus the SIT subgroups in both osteopenic and osteoporotic participants (P<.05). No significant subgroup difference was found for normal bone mineral density group, although resorption increased in height and width for the SIT subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular residual ridge resorption was reduced for dentures fabricated using the mucostatic impression technique compared with the selective pressure impression technique in individuals with diminished bone density.

Corilagin in Cancer: A Critical Evaluation of Anticancer Activities and Molecular Mechanisms.

Corilagin (ß-1-O-galloyl-3,6-(R)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-d-glucose), an ellagitannin, is one of the major bioactive compounds present in various plants. Ellagitannins belong to the hydrolyzable tannins, a group of polyphenols. Corilagin shows broad-spectrum biological, and therapeutic activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and antitumor actions. Natural compounds possessing antitumor activities have attracted significant attention for treatment of cancer. Corilagin has shown inhibitory activity against the growth of numerous cancer cells by prompting cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and augmented apoptosis. Corilagin-induced apoptosis and autophagic cell death depends on production of intracellular reactive oxygen species in breast cancer cell line. It blocks the activation of both the canonical Smad and non-canonical extracellular-signal-regulated kinase/Akt (protein kinase B) pathways. The potential apoptotic action of corilagin is mediated by altered expression of procaspase-3, procaspase-8, procaspase-9, poly (ADP ribose) polymerase, and Bcl-2 Bax. In nude mice, corilagin suppressed cholangiocarcinoma growth and downregulated the expression of Notch1 and mammalian target of rapamycin. The aim of this review is to summarize the anticancer efficacy of corilagin with an emphasis on the molecular mechanisms involving various signaling pathways in tumor cells.

Hyperbaric oxygen for mTBI-associated PCS and PTSD: Pooled analysis of results from Department of Defense and other published studies.

BACKGROUND: Some clinical trials report improvement in persistent post-concussive symptoms (PCS) with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but questions remain regarding the utility of HBO2 for PCS, the effects of HBO2 on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the influences of sham control exposures. METHODS: A systematic review and pooled analysis was conducted to summarize available evidence for HBO2 in mTBI-associated PCS ± PTSD. Data aggregated from four Department of Defense (DoD) studies with participant-level data (n=254) were grouped into pooled HBO2 and sham intervention groups. Changes from baseline to post-intervention on PCS, PTSD, and neuropsychological measures were assessed using linear mixed models to evaluate main intervention and intervention-by-baseline PTSD effects. Potential dose-response relationships to oxygen partial pressures were investigated. Intervention effects from three other published studies with summary-level participant data (n=135) were also summarized.. RESULTS: Pooled DoD data analyses indicated trends toward improvement favoring HBO2 for PCS (Rivermead Total Score: -2.3, 95% CI [-5.6, 1.0], p=0.18); PTSD (PTSD Checklist Total Score: -2.7, 95% CI [-5.8, 0.4], p=0.09); and significant improvement in verbal memory (CVLT-II Trial 1-5 Free Recall: 3.8; 95% CI [1.0, 6.7], p=0.01). A dose-response trend to increasing oxygen partial pressure was also found, with a greater HBO2 effect in mTBI-associated PTSD suggested. The direction of results was consistent with other published studies. CONCLUSION: A definitive clinical trial, with an appropriate control group, should be considered to identify the optimal HBO2 dosing regimen for individuals with mTBI-associated PTSD ± PCS.

"Weekend Effect" in Patients With Upper Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: "Weekend effect" refers to worse outcomes among patients presenting to the hospital on weekends or holidays. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies assessing the impact of the "weekend effect" in patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH). METHODS: We searched key bibliographic databases using keywords and MeSH terms related to gastrointestinal hemorrhage and "weekend effect". Our primary analysis evaluated mortality in patients with UGIH who were hospitalized on the weekend or after-hours compared with a weekday. Secondary outcomes included need for definitive therapy and length of hospital stay. Relevant data were extracted and meta-analyses were performed using random effects model. Subgroup sensitivity analyses were also performed to assess the effects of key variables. RESULTS: A total of 21 of 224 identified studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, there was no association between weekend admission and mortality among patients with UGIH (Odds Ratio (OR): 1.06; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99-1.14). However, meta-analysis using only the nine studies that did not report having a weekend rounder showed a significant increase in mortality (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.07-1.17). There was no effect of weekend admission on any of our secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence suggests that weekend admission is associated with significant increase in mortality in patients with non-variceal UGIH but no difference in mortality was noted in patients with variceal UGIH. Our findings are relevant to policymakers, practitioners and providers who should ensure the creation of consistent quality and access to care throughout the week.

N-Acetyl-tryptophan glucoside (NATG) protects J774A.1 murine macrophages against gamma radiation-induced cell death by modulating oxidative stress.

Immune system is amongst the most radiosensitive system to radiation-induced cellular and molecular damage. Present study was focused on the evaluation of radioprotective efficacy of a novel secondary metabolite, N-acetyl tryptophan glucoside (NATG), isolated from a radioresistant bacterium Bacillus sp. INM-1 using murine macrophage J774A.1 cells experimental model. Radioprotective efficacy of NATG against radiation-induced DNA damage and apoptosis was estimated using phosphatidyl-serine-externalization Annexin V-PI and Comet assay analysis. Radiation-induced cell death is the outcome of oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Therefore, perturbations in antioxidant enzymes i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and GSH activities in irradiated and NATG pre-treated irradiated J774A.1 cells were studied. Results of the present study demonstrated that NATG pre-treated (0.25 µg/ml) irradiated (20 Gy) cells showed significant (p < 0.05) reduction in apoptotic cells index at 4-48 h as compared to radiation alone cells. Comet assay exhibited significant protection to radiation-induced DNA damage in J774A.1 cells. Significantly shortened DNA tail length, increased % Head DNA contents and lower olive tail moment was observed in NATG pre-treated irradiated cells as compared to radiation alone cells. Further, significant increase in catalase (~ 3.9 fold), SOD (67.52%), GST (~ 1.9 fold), and GSH (~ 2.5 fold) levels was observed in irradiated cells pre-treated with NATG as compared to radiation-alone cells. In conclusion, current study suggested that NATG pre-treatment to irradiated cells enhanced antioxidant enzymes in cellular milieu that may contribute to reduce oxidative stress and decrease DNA damage which resulted to significant reduction in the cell death of irradiated macrophages.

Systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of iron depletion in dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

AIMS: Iron reduction has been proposed as treatment for dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome (DIOS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but results of published trials are conflicting. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of phlebotomy in DIOS and NAFLD. METHODS: We searched multiple databases systematically for studies evaluating the impact of phlebotomy in DIOS and NAFLD. We calculated weighted summary estimates using the inverse variance method. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane collaboration tool. RESULTS: We identified nine studies with 820 patients (427 had phlebotomy, 393 lifestyle changes alone). Iron depletion did not improve the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) index (mean difference [MD] -0.6; confidence interval (CI), -1.7, 0.5; P = 0.3), insulin level (MD -0.8 mU/L; CI, -5.3, 3.7; P = 0.73), or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (MD -0.7 IU/L; CI, -3.2, 1.8; P = 0.6) in DIOS and/or NAFLD patients as compared to lifestyle changes alone (five studies, 626 patients). There was mild improvement in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (MD -6.6 IU/L; CI, -11, -2.1); P < 0.01), but the effect size was very small (Cohen's d, 0.15; r statistic, 0.07). Even in the subgroup of patients with NAFLD and hyperferritinemia, phlebotomy did not improve the HOMA index, insulin level, ALT, or AST. Additionally, no study showed significant improvement in liver inflammation or fibrosis with iron reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Phlebotomy does not bring about significant improvement in indices of insulin resistance, liver enzymes, or liver histology in patients with DIOS and/or NAFLD compared to lifestyle changes alone. Current evidence does not support the use of phlebotomy in patients with DIOS or NAFLD.

Temperature dependent excited state dynamics in dual emissive CdSe nano-tetrapods.

Time resolved spectroscopic investigation has been performed on nano-tetrapods, which are exotic nanocrystals with zinc blende type core structure and four arms with wurtzite structure. Dual emission is observed in these nanostructures. A band-edge emission occurs at 500-600 nm and a broad surface state emission occurs in the 600-900 nm region. The band-edge emission decays almost completely in a few ps, indicating the operation of an efficient trapping process. Incomplete recovery kinetics of ground state bleach from transient absorption experiments signifies the existence of a long-lived excited state. The lifetime of the surface state emission is in tens of nanoseconds. At liquid nitrogen temperature, surface state emission is enhanced to a greater degree than band edge emission, indicating suppression of various deactivation pathways at this temperature. Thus, an idea of excited state dynamics of these systems is developed, with a view of future tuning of photoluminescence properties by playing with the different radiative and nonradiative pathways involved.

Enhanced cytopathic effect of Japanese encephalitis virus strain SA14-14-2: Probable association of mutation in amino acid of its envelope protein.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease. It is a global public health concern since it causes an acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). A large number of JE/AES cases are reported to occur in areas with established or developing JE vaccination program. Partial vaccine coverage and emergence of new variants of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) might be playing an important role. The envelope protein (E) of JEV is a major antigenic determinant and responsible for immunogenic responses as well as membrane fusion and virion assembly. In the present study, we have characterized the JEV live attenuated vaccine strain SA14-14-2 in baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21). The vaccine strain showed enhanced replication following its passage in BHK-21 cells. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the E protein gene of the cell-culture adapted vaccine strain showed an important point mutation. The mutation in the E protein gene was identical to its wild-type parent strain SA14. This study suggests the possibility of reversion mutation and exaltation of vaccine strains following adaptation in the host cells.

Endohedral gas adsorption by cucurbit[7]uril: a theoretical study.

The selectivity of cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) towards adsorbing a series of 14 molecules encompassing four hydrocarbons (C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, and CH4), diatomic molecules of halogens (F2 and Cl2), nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NO), carbon oxides (CO2 and CO), SO2, H2S, N2, and H2 is explored via a density functional theory based study. CB[7] is noted to have high selectivity towards adsorbing SO2 over the other considered molecules, highlighting its probable utility to separate SO2 from flue gas or other gas mixtures containing these molecules. The nature of bonding is deciphered via the computations of non-covalent interaction indices and energy decomposition analysis. Although in all cases the dispersion interaction turns out to be the most dominating contributor in stabilizing these complexes, the electrostatic contribution is also considerable. In fact, the combined effect of these two energy terms in SO2@CB[7] is responsible for the obtained selectivity.

Point prevalence & risk factor assessment for hospital-acquired infections in a tertiary care hospital in Pune, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a major challenge to patient safety and have serious public health implications by changing the quality of life of patients and sometimes causing disability or even death. The true burden of HAI remains unknown, particularly in developing countries. The objective of this study was to estimate point prevalence of HAI and study the associated risk factors in a tertiary care hospital in Pune, India. METHODS: A series of four cross-sectional point prevalence surveys were carried out between March and August 2014. Data of each patient admitted were collected using a structured data entry form. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines were used to identify and diagnose patients with HAI. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of HAI was 3.76 per cent. Surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (25%), medical ICU (20%), burns ward (20%) and paediatric ward (12.17%) were identified to have significant association with HAI. Prolonged hospital stay [odds ratio (OR=2.81), mechanical ventilation (OR=18.57), use of urinary catheter (OR=7.89) and exposure to central air-conditioning (OR=8.59) had higher odds of acquiring HAI (P<0.05). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: HAI prevalence showed a progressive reduction over successive rounds of survey. Conscious effort needs to be taken by all concerned to reduce the duration of hospital stay. Use of medical devices should be minimized and used judiciously. Healthcare infection control should be a priority of every healthcare provider. Such surveys should be done in different healthcare settings to plan a response to reducing HAI.