Lymphatic vessels in bone support regeneration after injury.

Blood and lymphatic vessels form a versatile transport network and provide inductive signals to regulate tissue-specific functions. Blood vessels in bone regulate osteogenesis and hematopoiesis, but current dogma suggests that bone lacks lymphatic vessels. Here, by combining high-resolution light-sheet imaging and cell-specific mouse genetics, we demonstrate presence of lymphatic vessels in mouse and human bones. We find that lymphatic vessels in bone expand during genotoxic stress. VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling and genotoxic stress-induced IL6 drive lymphangiogenesis in bones. During lymphangiogenesis, secretion of CXCL12 from proliferating lymphatic endothelial cells is critical for hematopoietic and bone regeneration. Moreover, lymphangiocrine CXCL12 triggers expansion of mature Myh11+ CXCR4+ pericytes, which differentiate into bone cells and contribute to bone and hematopoietic regeneration. In aged animals, such expansion of lymphatic vessels and Myh11-positive cells in response to genotoxic stress is impaired. These data suggest lymphangiogenesis as a therapeutic avenue to stimulate hematopoietic and bone regeneration.

Unravelling the genomic origins of lumpy skin disease virus in recent outbreaks.

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) belongs to the genus Capripoxvirus and family Poxviridae. LSDV was endemic in most of Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, but since 2015, several outbreaks have been reported in other countries. In this study, we used whole genome sequencing approach to investigate the origin of the outbreak and understand the genomic landscape of the virus. Our study showed that the LSDV strain of 2022 outbreak exhibited many genetic variations compared to the Reference Neethling strain sequence and the previous field strains. A total of 1819 variations were found in 22 genome sequences, which includes 399 extragenic mutations, 153 insertion frameshift mutations, 234 deletion frameshift mutations, 271 Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 762 silent SNPs. Thirty-eight genes have more than 2 variations per gene, and these genes belong to viral-core proteins, viral binding proteins, replication, and RNA polymerase proteins. We highlight the importance of several SNPs in various genes, which may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of LSDV. Phylogenetic analysis performed on all whole genome sequences of LSDV showed two types of variants in India. One group of the variant with fewer mutations was found to lie closer to the LSDV 2019 strain from Ranchi while the other group clustered with previous Russian outbreaks from 2015. Our study highlights the importance of genomic characterization of viral outbreaks to not only monitor the frequency of mutations but also address its role in pathogenesis of LSDV as the outbreak continues.

Photoinduced Dynamic Ligation in Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous crystalline materials consisting of metal-based nodes and organic linkers, have emerged as a promising platform for photocatalysis due to their ultrahigh functional surface area, customizable topologies, and tunable energetics. While interesting photochemistry has been reported, the related photoinduced structural dynamics of MOFs remains unclear. The consensus is that the coordination bonds between MOF nodes and linkers are considered static during photoexcitation, while the open-metal sites on the nodes are taken as the key active sites for catalysis. In this work, through a complementary time-resolved visible and infrared (IR) spectroscopic investigation, along with computational studies, we report for the first time light-induced structural bond dissociation (COO-M) and reformation in an iron-oxo framework, MIL-101(Fe). The probed excited state displayed ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) characteristics and exhibited a ca. 30 µs lifetime. The incredibly long excited-state lifetime led us to probe potential structural rearrangements that facilitated charge separation in MIL-101(Fe). By probing the vibrational fingerprints of the carboxylate linker upon LMCT photoexcitation, we observed the reversible transition of the carboxylate-Fe bond from a bidentate bridging mode to a monodentate mode, indicating the partial dissociation of the carboxylate ligand. Importantly, the bidentate configuration is recovered on the same time scale of the excited state lifetimes as probed via visible transient absorption spectroscopy. The elucidated photoinduced configurational dynamics provides a foundation for an in-depth understanding of MOF-based photocatalytic mechanisms.

Hesperetin blocks poxvirus replication with a low tendency to select for drug-resistant viral variants.

In this study, we demonstrated the antiviral efficacy of hesperetin against multiple poxviruses, including buffalopox virus (BPXV), vaccinia virus (VACV), and lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). The time-of-addition and virus step-specific assays indicated that hesperetin reduces the levels of viral DNA, mRNA, and proteins in the target cells. Further, by immunoprecipitation (IP) of the viral RNA from BPXV-infected Vero cells and a cell-free RNA-IP assay, we demonstrated that hesperetin-induced reduction in BPXV protein synthesis is also consistent with diminished interaction between eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E and the 5' cap of viral mRNA. Molecular docking and MD simulation studies were also consistent with the binding of hesperetin to the cap-binding pocket of eIF4E, adopting a conformation similar to m7GTP binding. Furthermore, in a BPXV egg infection model, hesperetin was shown to suppress the development of pock lesions on the chorioallantoic membrane and associated mortality in the chicken embryos. Most importantly, long-term culture of BPXV in the presence of hesperetin did not induce the generation of drug-resistant viral mutants. In conclusion, we, for the first time, demonstrated the antiviral activity of hesperetin against multiple poxviruses, besides providing some insights into its potential mechanisms of action.

Polymer Supported Nitrogen-Bridged Symmetrical Binuclear Dioxidomolybdenum(VI) Complexes and Their Homogeneous Analogues as Potential Catalysts for Efficient Synthesis of 2-Amino-3-Cyano-4H-Chromenes/Pyrans.

Reaction of 2-chloromethyl-1H-benzimidazole with known intermediates (i-iii), prepared from diaminoguanidine hydrochloride with salicylaldehyde, 5-bromosalicylaldehyde or 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde, in the presence of triethylamine (NEt3) led to the formation of benzimidazole appended new ligands, H4L1-H4L3 (I-III). The homogeneous nitrogen-bridged symmetrical binuclear complexes, [(MoVIO2)2(L1)(H2O)2] (1), [(MoVIO2)2(L2)(H2O)2] (2) and [(MoVIO2)2(L3)(MeOH)2] (3) have been isolated by reacting these ligands with [MoVIO2(acac)2] in a 1 : 2 molar ratio in refluxing methanol. Using 1 : 1 (ligand to Mo precursor) molar ratio under above reaction conditions resulted in the corresponding mononuclear complexes, [MoVIO2(H2L1)(MeOH)] (4), [MoVIO2(H2L2)(H2O)] (5) and [MoVIO2(H2L3)(MeOH)] (6). The binuclear heterogeneous compounds [(MoVIO2)2(L1)(DMF)2]@PS (PS-1), [(MoVIO2)2(L2)(DMF)2]@PS (PS-2) and [(MoVIO2)2(L3)(DMF)2]@PS (PS-3) have been obtained by immobilization of 1-3 onto chloromethylated polystyrene (PS) beads. All synthesized ligands, homogeneous as well as supported compounds have been characterized by elemental analyses and various spectroscopic methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of complexes 1 and 3 confirms their nitrogen-bridged symmetrical binuclear structures while 4 is mononuclear. Heterogeneous compounds (PS-1-PS-3) have further been studied by microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive spectroscopy. These compounds (homogeneous and heterogeneous) were explored for catalytic applications to one-pot multicomponent reactions (MCRs) for efficient synthesis of biologically active 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-chromenes/pyrans (21 examples). Optimising various reaction parameters helped in achieving as high as 97 % yields of products. Though, only half equivalent of the binuclear complexes (1-3) was required compared to mononuclear analogues (4-6) to achieve comparable yields, heterogeneous catalysts have an added advantage due to their stability and recyclability. Suitable reaction mechanism has also been proposed based on isolated intermediates.

Nuclear Localization Signal Enhances the Targeting and Therapeutic Efficacy of a Porphyrin-Based Molecular Cargo: A Systemic In Vitro and Ex Vivo Evaluation.

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the potential of a nuclear localization signal (NLS) toward facilitating intracellular delivery and enhancement in the therapeutic efficacy of the molecular cargo. Toward this, an in-house synthesized porphyrin derivative, namely, 5-carboxymethyelene-oxyphenyl-10,15,20-tris(4-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin (UTriMA), was utilized for conjugation with the NLS sequence [PKKKRKV]. The three compounds synthesized during the course of the present work, namely DOTA-Lys-NLS, DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS, and DOTA-Lys-UTriMA, were evaluated for cellular toxicity in cancer cell lines (HT1080), wherein all exhibited minimal dark toxicity. However, during photocytotoxicity studies with DOTA-Lys-UTriMA and DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS conjugates in the same cell line, the latter exhibited significantly higher light-dependent toxicity compared to the former. Furthermore, the photocytotoxicity for DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS in a healthy cell line (WI26VA4) was found to be significantly lower than that observed in the cancer cells. Fluorescence cell imaging studies carried out in HT1080 cancer cells revealed intracellular accumulation for the NLS-conjugated porphyrin (DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS), whereas unconjugated porphyrin (DOTA-Lys-UTriMA) failed to do so. To evaluate the radiotherapeutic effects of the synthesized conjugates, all three compounds were radiolabeled with 177Lu, a well-known therapeutic radionuclide with high radiochemical purity (>95%). During in vitro studies, the [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS complex exhibited the highest cell binding as well as internalization among the three radiolabeled complexes. Biological distribution studies for the radiolabeled compounds were performed in a fibrosarcoma-bearing small animal model, wherein significantly higher accumulation and prolonged retention of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS (9.32 ± 1.27% IA/g at 24 h p.i.) in the tumorous lesion compared to [177Lu]Lu-UTriMA-Lys-DOTA (2.3 ± 0.13% IA/g at 24 h p.i.) and [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-Lys-NLS complexes (0.26 ± 0.17% IA/g at 24 h p.i.) were observed. The results of the biodistribution studies were further corroborated by recording serial SPECT-CT images of fibrosarcoma-bearing Swiss mice administered with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS at different time points. Tumor regression studies performed with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-UTriMA-Lys-NLS in the same animal model with two different doses [250 µCi (9.25 MBq) and 500 µCi (18.5 MBq)] resulted in a significant reduction in tumor mass in the treated group of animals. The above results revealed a definite enhancement in the targeting ability of molecular cargo upon conjugation with NLS and hence indicated that this strategy may be helpful for the preparation of drug-NLS conjugates as multimodal agents.

[99mTc]Tc-labeled HYNIC conjugated chlorambucil as a tumor targeting Agent: Synthesis, characterization and ex-vivo evaluation.

Chlorambucil is an alkylating drug that finds application towards chemotherapy of different types of cancers. In order to explore the possibility of utilization of this drug as an imaging agent for early diagnosis of solid tumors, attempt was made to synthesize a 99mTc complex of chlorambucil and evaluate its potential in tumor bearing small animal model. HYNIC-chlorambucil was synthesized by conjugation of HYNIC with chlorambucil via an ethylenediamine linker. All the intermediates and final product were purified and characterized by standard spectroscopic techniques viz. FT-IR, 1H/13C-NMR as well as by mass spectrometry. HYNIC-chlorambucil conjugate was radiolabeled with [99mTc]Tc and found to be formed with > 95 % radiochemical purity via RP-HPLC studies. The partition coefficient (Log10Po/w) of the synthesized complex was found to be -0.78 ± 0.25 which indicated the moderate hydrophilic nature for the complex. Biological behaviour of [99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-chlorambucil, studied in fibrosarcoma bearing Swiss mice, revealed a tumor uptake of about 4.16 ± 1.52 %IA/g at 30 min post-administration, which declined to 1.91 ± 0.13 % IA/g and 1.42 ± 0.14 %IA/g at 1 h and 2 h post-administration, respectively. A comparison of different [99mTc]Tc-chlorambucil derivatives (reported in the contemporary literature) formulated using different methodologies revealed that tumor uptake and pharmacokinetics exhibited by these agents strongly depend on the lipophilicity/hydrophilicity of such agents, which in turn is dependent on the bifunctional chelators used for formulating the radiolabeled chlorambucils.

Controlled Modification of Triaminoguanidine-Based µ3 Ligands in Multinuclear [VIVO]/[VVO2] Complexes and Their Catalytic Potential in the Synthesis of 2-Amino-3-cyano-4H-pyrans/4H-chromenes.

Reaction of tris(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-triaminoguanidinium chloride (I·HCl) and tris(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-triaminoguanidinium chloride (II·HCl) with [VIVO(acac)2] (1:1 molar ratio) in refluxing methanol resulted in mononuclear [VIVO] complexes, [VIVO(H2L1')(MeOH)] (1) and [VIVO(H2L2')(MeOH)] (2), respectively, where I and II undergo intramolecular triazole ring formation. Aerial oxidation of 1 and 2 in MeOH in the presence of Cs2CO3 gave corresponding cis-[VVO2] complexes Cs[(VO2)(H2L1')] (3) and Cs[(VO2)(H2L2')] (4). However, reaction of an aerially oxidized methanolic solution of [VIVO(acac)2] with I·HCl and II·HCl in the presence of Cs2CO3 (in 1:1:1 molar ratio) gave mononuclear complexes Cs[(VO2)(H3L1)] (5) and Cs[(VO2)(H3L2)] (6) without intramolecular triazole ring formation. Similar anionic trinuclear complexes Cs2[(VO2)3(L1)] (7) and Cs2[(VO2)3(L2)] (8) were isolable upon increasing the amounts of the vanadium precursor and Cs2CO3 to 3 equiv to the reaction applied for 5 and 6. Keeping the reaction mixture of 1 in MeOH under air gave [VVO(H2L1')(OMe)] (9). Structures of 3, 7, 8, and 9 were confirmed by X-ray crystal structure study. A permanent porosity in the crystalline metal-organic framework of 7 confirmed by single-crystal X-ray investigation was further verified by the BET study. Along with a suitable reaction mechanism, these synthesized compounds were explored as effective catalysts for the synthesis of biomolecules 4H-pyran/4H-chromenes.

Straightforward access to α-carbonyloxy esters and ß-keto thioethers from aryldiazoacetates.

A metal- and additive-free approach has been described for synthesizing α-carbonyloxy esters and ß-keto thioethers from readily available aryldiazoacetates with carboxylic acids and thiol derivatives, respectively. α-Carbonyloxy esters and ß-keto thioether derivatives were synthesized in good to high yields from aryldiazoacetates, carboxylic acids, and thiol derivatives decorated with various functional groups. Finally, the potential of the new approach is demonstrated through its application in gram-scale reactions and the synthesis of a few bioactive molecules.

A highly divergent enteric calicivirus in a bovine calf in India.

A highly divergent bovine calicivirus was identified in an Indian calf with enteritis. The whole genome of this virus was sequenced, revealing distinct amino acid motifs in the polyprotein encoded by open reading frame 1 (ORF1) that are unique to caliciviruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that it was related to members of the genus Nebovirus of the family Caliciviridae. Although it showed only 33.7-34.2% sequence identity in the VP1 protein to the nebovirus prototype strains, it showed 90.6% identity in VP1 to Kirklareli virus, a nebovirus detected in calves with enteritis in Turkey in 2012. An in-house-designed and optimized reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to screen 120 archived bovine diarrhoeic fecal samples, 40 each from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, revealing frequent circulation of these divergent caliciviruses in the bovine population, with an overall positivity rate of 64.17% (77/120). This underscores the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation of the prevalence of these divergent caliciviruses and assessing their associations with other pathogens responsible for enteritis in India.

A Vitamin D-RelB/NF-κB Pathway Limits Chandipura Virus Multiplication by Rewiring the Homeostatic State of Autoregulatory Type 1 IFN-IRF7 Signaling.

Besides its functions in the skeletomuscular system, vitamin D is known to alleviate viral-inflicted pathologies. However, the mechanism underlying protective vitamin D function remains unclear. We examined the role of vitamin D in controlling cellular infections by Chandipura virus, an RNA virus implicated in human epidemics. How immune signaling pathways, including those regulating NF-κB and IFN regulatory factors (IRFs), are activated in virus-infected cells has been well studied. Our investigation involving human- and mouse-derived cells revealed that vitamin D instructs the homeostatic state of these antiviral pathways, leading to cellular resilience to subsequent viral infections. In particular, vitamin D provoked autoregulatory type 1 IFN-IRF7 signaling even in the absence of virus infection by downmodulating the expression of the IFN-inhibitory NF-κB subunit RelB. Indeed, RelB deficiency rendered vitamin D treatment redundant, whereas IRF7 depletion abrogated antiviral vitamin D action. In sum, immune signaling homeostasis appears to connect micronutrients to antiviral immunity at the cellular level. The proposed link may have a bearing on shaping public health policy during an outbreak.

Identification of potential JNK3 inhibitors through virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation as therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurological disorder and no effective drug is available for its treatment. Numerous pathological conditions are believed to be responsible for the initiation and development of AD including c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs). The JNKs are one of the enzymes from the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family that controls the phosphorylation of various transcription factors on serine and threonine residues, and hold significant responsibilities in tasks like gene expression, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Since, JNK3 is primarily expressed in the brain hence its increased levels in the brain are associated with the AD pathology promoting neurofibrillary tangles, senile plaques, neuroinflammation, and nerve cell apoptosis. The current research work is focused on the development of novel JNK inhibitors as therapeutics for AD employing a structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) approach. The ZINC database (14634052 compounds) was investigated after employing pan assay interference (PAINs), drug-likeness, and diversity picking filter to distinguish molecules interacting with JNK3 by following three docking precision criteria: High Throughput Virtual Screening (HTVS), Standard Precision (SP), and Extra Precision (XP) & MMGBSA. Five lead molecules showed a better docking score in the range of -13.091 to -14.051 kcal/mol better than the reference compound (- 11.828 kcal/mol). The lead compounds displayed acceptable pharmacokinetic properties and were subjected to molecular dynamic simulations of 100 ns and binding free energy calculations. All the lead molecules showed stable RMSD and hydrogen bond interactions throughout the trajectory. The ∆GMM/PBSA_total score for the lead compounds ZINC220382956, ZINC147071339, ZINC207081127, ZINC205151456, ZINC1228819126, and CC-930 was calculated and found to be - 31.39, - 42.8, - 37.04, - 39.01, - 36.5, - 34.16 kcal/mol, respectively. Thus, it was concluded that the lead molecules identified in these studies have the potential to be explored as potent JNK3 inhibitors.

Lactobacillus casei Shirota probiotic drinks reduce antibiotic associated diarrhoea in patients with spinal cord injuries who regularly consume proton pump inhibitors: a subgroup analysis of the ECLISP multicentre RCT.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a sub-group analysis of a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial (ECLISP trial) OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of a probiotic containing at least 6.5 × 109 live Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) in preventing antibiotic associated diarrhoea (AAD) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) who consumed proton pump inhibitor (PPI) regularly. LcS or placebo was given once daily for the duration of an antibiotic course and continued for 7 days thereafter. The trial was registered with ISRCTN:13119162. SETTING: Three SCI centres (National Spinal Injuries Centre, Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries and Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre) in the United Kingdom METHODS: Between November 2014, and November 2019, 95 eligible consenting SCI patients (median age: 57; IQ range: 43-69) were randomly allocated to receive LcS (n = 50) or placebo (n = 45). The primary outcome is the occurrence of AAD up to 30 days after finishing LcS/placebo. RESULTS: The LcS group had a significantly lower incidence of AAD at 30 days after finishing the antibiotic course (28.0 v 53.3%, RR: 95% CI: 0.53, 0.31-0.89; z = 2.5, p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that LcS can reduce the risk of AAD at 30 days (OR: 0.36, 95% CI 0.13, 0.99, p < 0.05). No intervention-related adverse events were reported during the study. CONCLUSIONS: LcS has the potential to prevent AAD in what could be considered a defined vulnerable group of SCI patients on regular PPI. A confirmatory, randomised, placebo-controlled study is needed to confirm this apparent therapeutic success to translate it into appropriate clinical outcomes. SPONSORSHIP: Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.

Utility of Itraconazole in Combination with Liposomal Amphotericin B in Rhizopus oryzae Associated Mucormycosis-An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic-associated mucor epidemic, acute antifungal drug shortage necessitated the exploration of other antifungals based on culture sensitivity. Itraconazole is a cheap, safe, and effective antifungal in sensitive cases. METHODOLOGY: We enrolled itraconazole-sensitive COVID-19-associated mucormycosis during the mucormycosis pandemic. After the intensive phase course of liposomal amphotericin B, Itraconazole was offered in susceptible cases during the maintenance phase along with standard of care. These patients were clinically and radiologically followed for 6 months. RESULTS: We enrolled 14 patients (Male: Female-11:3) of Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) which included 12 diabetics. All patients had facial swelling, orbital swelling, visual impairment, and headache. MRI showed involvement of bilateral sinus (10/14), orbital extension (13/14), cavernous sinus (5/14), cerebral part of the internal carotid artery (3/14), and brain infarcts (4/14). All 14 patients showed sensitivity to Itraconazole with 12 having minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤ 1 µg/ml and 2 having MIC ≤ 2 µg/ml. Follow-up at 6 months showed clinical improvement in the majority (11/14) and radiological improvement in six out of seven scanned patients. CONCLUSION: Our study shows the potential therapeutic role of oral Itraconazole in ROCM.

Formulation of patient dose of [177Lu]Lu-Trastuzumab using in-house developed freeze-dried kit: A path forward for clinical translation.

Trastuzumab is a US-FDA-approved humanized monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. The aim of the present work is to optimize a freeze-dried formulation of DOTA-Trastuzumab conjugate for the preparation of patient doses of [177Lu]Lu-Trastuzumab for radioimmunotherapy of breast cancer. The formulation of [177Lu]Lu-Trastuzumab usually takes a long time, and thus, such a process is not suitable for the routine preparation of this agent in hospital radiopharmacies. To circumvent this, a pre-synthesized DOTA-Trastuzumab conjugate as a freeze-dried formulation is proposed. In the present work, DOTA-Trastuzumab conjugate was subjected to a freeze-drying process after the addition of optimized amounts of radioprotectant and cryoprotectant. [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-Trastuzumab was prepared by incubating the lyophilized powder of the kit vial with medium-specific activity 177LuCl3. The final radiochemical purity of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-Trastuzumab, prepared using freeze-dried kit, was determined to be >95%. To ascertain the reproducibility of the procedure, six consecutive batches of the freeze-dried formulation were prepared, radiolabeled, and evaluated by carrying out both in vitro and ex vivo studies. The consistency of the results of all the six consecutive batches confirmed the robustness and utility of the in-house optimized freeze-dried formulation for the preparation of patient doses of [177Lu]Lu-Trastuzumab at hospital radiopharmacies.

Comparative evaluation of two different xenogenic acellular matrices on full-thickness skin wound healing.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to compare the healing potential of bubaline small intestinal matrix (bSIM) and fish swim bladder matrix (FSBM) on full-thickness skin wounds in rabbits. METHOD: Four full-thickness skin wounds (each 20×20mm) were created on the dorsum of 18 rabbits that were divided into three groups based on treatment: untreated sham control (I), implanted with double layers of bSIM (II) and implanted with double layers of FSBM (III). Macroscopic, immunologic and histologic observations were made to evaluate wound healing. RESULTS: Gross healing progression in the bSIM and FSBM groups showed significantly (p<0.05) less wound contraction compared with the sham group. The IgG concentration in rabbit sera was significantly (p<0.05) lower in the FSBM group compared with the bSIM group by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The stimulation index of peripheral blood lymphocytes was significantly (p<0.05) lower in the FSBM group compared with the bSIM group by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Implantation of FSBM resulted in improved re-epithelialisation, neovascularisation and fibroplasia. CONCLUSION: The FSBM is a more effective dermal substitute when compared with the bSIM for full-thickness skin wound repair in rabbit.

Alarming Incidence of Gastric Outlet Obstruction Related to NSAIDS and Synthetic Opioid in North West India.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in cases of gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) at our center due to drug abuse. So, we conducted this study to know the incidence of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and synthetic opioid abuse in cases of GOO. METHODS: This was an observational study involving consecutive cases of GOO diagnosed from September 2017 to February 2019. A detailed history, including drug addiction history and clinical examination, was done. Investigations included routine biochemical and hematological tests, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE), ultrasonography, rapid urease test (RUT), and histopathology of the diseased area. RESULTS: Among the 102 cases diagnosed with GOO, 62 (60.78%) cases had a history of drug addiction. The drug addiction history was as follows: NSAIDs and opioids in 56, opioids alone in four, and NSAIDs alone in two cases. The most common site of stricture was the second part of the duodenum. The features on histopathology were ulcerations of the mucosa infiltrated by eosinophils, plasma cells, and lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: There is an alarming increase in the incidence of GOO due to NSAIDs and opioid abuse at our center. Efforts should be made to control the indiscriminate use of these over-the-counter drugs to prevent dreaded complications.

A novel consensus-based computational pipeline for screening of antibody therapeutics for efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern including Omicron variant.

Multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants continue to evolve carrying flexible amino acid substitutions in the spike protein's receptor binding domain (RBD). These substitutions modify the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor and have been implicated in altered host fitness, transmissibility, and efficacy against antibody therapeutics and vaccines. Reliably predicting the binding strength of SARS-CoV-2 variants RBD to hACE2 receptor and neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) can help assessing their fitness, and rapid deployment of effective antibody therapeutics, respectively. Here, we introduced a two-step computational framework with 3-fold validation that first identified dissociation constant as a reliable predictor of binding affinity in hetero- dimeric and trimeric protein complexes. The second step implements dissociation constant as descriptor of the binding strengths of SARS-CoV-2 variants RBD to hACE2 and NAbs. Then, we examined several variants of concerns (VOCs) such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron and demonstrated that these VOCs RBD bind to the hACE2 with enhanced affinity. Furthermore, the binding affinity of Omicron variant's RBD was reduced with majority of the RBD-directed NAbs, which is highly consistent with the experimental neutralization data. By studying the atomic contacts between RBD and NAbs, we revealed the molecular footprints of four NAbs (GH-12, P2B-1A1, Asarnow_3D11, and C118)-that may likely neutralize the recently emerged Omicron variant-facilitating enhanced binding affinity. Finally, our findings suggest a computational pathway that could aid researchers identify a range of current NAbs that may be effective against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Highly Productive C3H4/C3H6 Trace Separation by a Packing Polymorph of a Layered Hybrid Ultramicroporous Material.

Ultramicroporous materials can be highly effective at trace gas separations when they offer a high density of selective binding sites. Herein, we report that sql-NbOFFIVE-bpe-Cu, a new variant of a previously reported ultramicroporous square lattice, sql, topology material, sql-SIFSIX-bpe-Zn, can exist in two polymorphs. These polymorphs, sql-NbOFFIVE-bpe-Cu-AA (AA) and sql-NbOFFIVE-bpe-Cu-AB (AB), exhibit AAAA and ABAB packing of the sql layers, respectively. Whereas NbOFFIVE-bpe-Cu-AA (AA) is isostructural with sql-SIFSIX-bpe-Zn, each exhibiting intrinsic 1D channels, sql-NbOFFIVE-bpe-Cu-AB (AB) has two types of channels, the intrinsic channels and extrinsic channels between the sql networks. Gas and temperature induced transformations of the two polymorphs of sql-NbOFFIVE-bpe-Cu were investigated by pure gas sorption, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD), and synchrotron PXRD. We observed that the extrinsic pore structure of AB resulted in properties with potential for selective C3H4/C3H6 separation. Subsequent dynamic gas breakthrough measurements revealed exceptional experimental C3H4/C3H6 selectivity (270) and a new benchmark for productivity (118 mmol g-1) of polymer grade C3H6 (purity >99.99%) from a 1:99 C3H4/C3H6 mixture. Structural analysis, gas sorption studies, and gas adsorption kinetics enabled us to determine that a binding "sweet spot" for C3H4 in the extrinsic pores is behind the benchmark separation performance. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations and Canonical Monte Carlo (CMC) simulations provided further insight into the binding sites of C3H4 and C3H6 molecules within these two hybrid ultramicroporous materials, HUMs. These results highlight, to our knowledge for the first time, how pore engineering through the study of packing polymorphism in layered materials can dramatically change the separation performance of a physisorbent.

One Atom Can Make All the Difference: Gas-Induced Phase Transformations in Bisimidazole-Linked Diamondoid Coordination Networks.

Coordination networks (CNs) that undergo gas-induced transformation from closed (nonporous) to open (porous) structures are of potential utility in gas storage applications, but their development is hindered by limited control over their switching mechanisms and pressures. In this work, we report two CNs, [Co(bimpy)(bdc)]n (X-dia-4-Co) and [Co(bimbz)(bdc)]n (X-dia-5-Co) (H2bdc = 1,4-benzendicarboxylic acid; bimpy = 2,5-bis(1H-imidazole-1-yl)pyridine; bimbz = 1,4-bis(1H-imidazole-1-yl)benzene), that both undergo transformation from closed to isostructural open phases involving at least a 27% increase in cell volume. Although X-dia-4-Co and X-dia-5-Co only differ from one another by one atom in their N-donor linkers (bimpy = pyridine, and bimbz = benzene), this results in different pore chemistry and switching mechanisms. Specifically, X-dia-4-Co exhibited a gradual phase transformation with a steady increase in the uptake when exposed to CO2, whereas X-dia-5-Co exhibited a sharp step (type F-IV isotherm) at P/P0 ≈ 0.008 or P ≈ 3 bar (195 or 298 K, respectively). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, in situ powder XRD, in situ IR, and modeling (density functional theory calculations, and canonical Monte Carlo simulations) studies provide insights into the nature of the switching mechanisms and enable attribution of pronounced differences in sorption properties to the changed pore chemistry.