Solution Processing of Spinel Nickel Cobaltite: Exfoliation Mechanism, Dispersion Stability, and Applications.

The exfoliation of nonlayered materials to mono- or few-layers is of growing interest to realize their full potential for various applications. Nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4), which has a spinel crystal structure, is one such nonlayered material with unique properties and has been utilized in a wide range of applications. Herein, NiCo2O4 is synthesized from NiCo2- Layered double hydroxides using a topochemical conversion technique. Subsequently, bulk NiCo2O4 is exfoliated into mono- or few-layer nickel cobaltene nanosheets using liquid-phase exfoliation in various low-boiling point solvents. An analytical centrifuge technique is also utilized to understand the solute-solvent interactions by determining their dispersion stability using parameters such as the instability index and sedimentation velocity. Among the studied solvents, water/isopropyl alcohol cosolvent is found to have better dispersion stability. In addition, density functional theory calculations are carried out to understand the exfoliation mechanism. It is found that the surface termination arising from the Co-O bond needs the least energy for exfoliation. Furthermore, the obtained nickel cobaltene nanosheets are utilized as an active material for supercapacitors without any conductive additives or binders. A solid-state symmetric supercapacitor delivers a specific capacitance of 10.2 mF cm-2 with robust stability, retaining ∼98% capacitance after 4000 cycles.

PUO--a rare (and forgotten) cause!

Splenic tuberculosis is an extremely rare clinical entity and a frequently forgotten cause of pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO). We present the case of a 42 year old man who presented with fever of unknown origin. Ultrasonography revealed multiple hypoechoic areas within the spleen. As the abscesses did not respond to broad spectrum antibiotics splenectomy was done. The excised organ showed multiple cysts filled with pultaceous material. Histopathological examination revealed areas of granular caseating necrosis surrounded by epitheloid cells and Langhan's type giant cells consistent with splenic tuberculosis.There was no evidence of a primary focus in the lungs or in any other organ.The presence of isolated tubercular foci in the spleen without any evidence of tuberculosis in lung or other extra-pulmonary site prompted us to report this case.

Comparison of the effects of Buteyko and pranayama breathing techniques on quality of life in patients with asthma - a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two breathing exercises (Buteyko and pranayama) with a control group in patients with asthma. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS: One hundred and twenty subjects were randomized to three groups through block randomization. Subjects with an Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score <5.5 participated in the study. SETTING: Outpatient pulmonary medicine department. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects in the Buteyko and pranayama groups were trained for 3-5 days and instructed to practise the exercises for 15 minutes twice daily, and for three months duration. The control group underwent routine pharmacological management during the study period. OUTCOME MEASURES: Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, Asthma Control Questionnaire and pulmonary function test. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics were similar in all three groups. Post intervention, the Buteyko group showed better trends of improvement (mean (95% confidence interval), P-value) in total Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score than the pranayama (0.47 (-0.008-0.95), P = 0.056) and control groups (0.97 (0.48-1.46), P = 0.0001). In comparison between the pranayama and control groups, pranayama showed significant improvement (0.50 (0.01-0.98), P = 0.042) in total Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score. CONCLUSION: The Buteyko group showed better trends of improvement in quality of life and asthma control than the group performing the pranayama breathing exercise.

NbO2 a Highly Stable, Ultrafast Anode Material for Li- and Na-Ion Batteries.

Anode materials with fast charging capabilities and stability are critical for realizing next-generation Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and Na-ion batteries (SIBs). The present work employs a simple synthetic strategy to obtain NbO2 and studies its applications as an anode for LIB and SIB. In the case of the LIB, it exhibited a specific capacity of 344 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1. It also demonstrated remarkable stability over 1000 cycles, with 92% capacity retention. Additionally, it showed a unique fast charging capability, which takes 30 s to reach a specific capacity of 83 mAh g-1. For the SIB, NbO2 exhibited a specific capacity of 244 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1 and showed 70% capacity retention after 500 cycles. Furthermore, detailed density functional theory reveals that various factors like bulk and surface charging processes, lower ion diffusion energy barriers, and superior electronic conductivity of NbO2 are responsible for the observed battery performances.

Role of Transition Metals in Layered Double Hydroxides for Differentiating the Oxygen Evolution and Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing.

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) belong to the class of two-dimensional materials having a wide variety of applications ranging from energy storage to catalysis. Often, these materials when used for nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensing tend to be interfering with oxygen evolution reaction (OER), resulting in overestimation of the glucose. Herein, to address this, NiFe-based LDH were selected because of their ability to vary the metal ratios. The synthesized LDH have been characterized using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Among the LDH synthesized, Ni4Fe-LDH have been able to differentiate the glucose oxidation potential and the onset potential of OER with minimum interference. The Ni4Fe-LDH sensor shows a sensitivity of 20.43 µA mM-1 cm-2 in the linear range of 0-4 mM concentrations. To further enhance the sensitivity, composites of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been synthesized in situ, and the Ni4Fe/rGO5 composites have shown an increased sensitivity of 176.8 µA mM-1 cm-2 attributed to the charge-transfer interactions. To understand the experimental observations, detailed computational studies have been carried out to study the effect of the electronic structure on the metal ratios of the LDH and its role in differentiating glucose sensing and the oxygen evolution reaction. Along with this, theoretical calculations are also carried out on LDH-graphene composites to study the charge-transfer interactions.

A study of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND: Relevance of C-reactive protein an acute phase reactant and a sensitive marker of low-grade systemic inflammation in bronchial asthma has not been fully studied. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the significance of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in atopic and non-atopic asthma using an ultra sensitive assay. METHODS: The levels of hs-CRP of 200 patients with bronchial asthma and 50 non-asthmatic control subjects were measured using a Latex enhanced immunoturbidimetric test. Spirometry with reversibility study, serum immunoglobulin-E (IgE) measurement and skin test for allergy was done in all the patients. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in hs-CRP levels with age in atopic asthmatics but no such association was observed in the non-atopic asthmatics and control subjects. The hs-CRP levels were not influenced by sex in any group. Smokers in all the three groups had a significantly higher hs-CRP levels as compared to non-smokers. Patients with asthma had higher hs-CRP values as compared to controls. Patients with non-allergic asthma had higher mean hs-CRP as compared to atopic asthmatics and control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that there exists a certain degree of low-grade systemic inflammation in addition to the local bronchial inflammation in non-atopic asthmatics. Hence, hs-CRP may be used as a surrogate marker for the airway inflammation in non-atopic asthma patients.

Bronchial asthma and dental caries risk: results from a case control study.

AIM: The present study was conducted with the objective of assessing the dental caries status of asthmatic patients in the age group of 11-25 years and to examine the possible association of these conditions to various aspects of bronchial asthma and its management. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The present study was conducted on 80 asthmatic patients receiving treatment at the KMC Hospital, Mangalore, India. They were examined for their caries status, and the scores were compared with an age, sex, and socioeconomic status matched group of 80 non-asthmatic patients as controls. The mean age of asthmatics was 17.4 (+/-4.3) years and mean duration of asthma was 17.69 (+/-7.66) months. RESULTS: The results showed a significantly higher prevalence of caries among asthmatic patients as compared to the matched control group as well as a positive correlation between the duration of asthma and the caries indices. CONCLUSION: There is a need to create awareness among dental practitioners regarding the increased caries risk of asthmatic patients. CLINICIAL SIGNIFICANCE: Special preventive and educational measures will be required to prevent caries and other oral diseases in asthmatic patients.

Is bronchial asthma a risk factor for gingival diseases? A control study.

Asthma is a serious global health problem. People of all ages in countries throughout the world are affected by this chronic airway disorder, which can be severe and sometimes fatal. The prevalence of asthma is increasing everywhere, especially among children. Several oral health conditions are documented among asthmatic patients, such as an increased rate of caries development and reduced salivary flow; an increased prevalence of oral mucosal changes, like oropharyngeal candidiasis and gingivitis; and orofacial abnormalities. The study presented here was conducted to find a relationship between increased levels of plaque and gingivitis and bronchial asthma. Around 80 asthmatic patients were examined for their plaque and gingival status. Their scores were compared with a control group matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status. Results showed a significant increase in plaque and gingival scores among asthmatics as compared to the control group. Hence, there is a need to educate this group of patients about their increased risk of gingival disease and the importance of proper plaque control.

Tuberculosis knowledge and attitude in aspiring doctors and nurses - Is it time for our TB teaching methods to evolve?

BACKGROUND: India accounts for nearly 24% of all the new tuberculosis (TB) cases globally. A good core knowledge and a positive outlook towards TB patients among our aspiring doctors and nurses are necessities for India to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) proposed by the WHO as a part of its post-2015 global TB strategy and to successfully combat the newer challenges posed by this disease in the future. AIMS: To evaluate knowledge related to transmission, prevention and treatment of tuberculosis amongst medical and nursing students. The study also aims to evaluate the attitude of students towards tuberculosis patients. METHODS: A self-administered pre-tested questionnaire was completed by 200 final year undergraduate medical and nursing students at a teaching medical college hospital. We collected information pertaining to general aspects of TB, its prevention and treatment and also the attitude of these prospective doctors and nurses towards treating/nursing TB patients. RESULTS: Most respondents (98.5%) were aware of the person to person transmission of the disease. 20% thought it could spread by fomites, 6.5% by shaking hands and 17% believed kissing could spread the disease. 72% of those surveyed did not think that healthcare workers were at greater risk of contracting TB. Only 52% of students knew that non-DOTS treatment was associated with a greater probability of patient defaults, development of drug-resistance, chronic disease and deaths. 27% of the students chose a simple surgical mask believing that it could protect them against nosocomial TB. Only 50% of nursing students were aware that the sputum smear examination was the diagnostic test required to label the patient as an 'open' or infectious case. A reluctance to interact with TB patients for fear of personal safety was seen in 28% of both groups. 83% of nursing students and 53% of the medical students were willing to attend to TB patients in isolation wards. 98.5% of the participants believed that TB is a disease that can be prevented, treated and cured. CONCLUSION: There exists considerable scope for improving knowledge in areas relating to disease transmission and the preventive aspects of TB among our healthcare students. Since the present curriculum was deemed as adequate by the students, newer learning methods may be needed to disseminate any additional knowledge. Healthcare students did not display any prejudice towards TB patients which augurs well for TB control activities in the future.

Effect of diaphragmatic breathing exercise on quality of life in subjects with asthma: A systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to determine if diaphragmatic breathing exercise improves quality of life (QoL) in asthma. Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Data were extracted and risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers. Three RCTs were eligible for inclusion (254 subjects). Two studies compared diaphragmatic breathing exercise to asthma education, and one compared with asthma medication. Meta-analysis was not possible due to clinical heterogeneity of the studies. All three studies had a low risk of bias. All studies reported short-term effects, and long-term effects of breathing exercise on asthma quality life. There is a moderate evidence of improvement in QoL following diaphragmatic breathing both in short-term and long-term basis.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of ADRB2 gene and their association with susceptibility for Plasmodium falciparum malaria and asthma in an Indian population.

The essential route to blood parasitaemia in malaria, erythrocyte invasion is facilitated by activation of the G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway mediated by the ß2-adrenoreceptor as one of the proteins on the surface of red blood cells. The effectiveness of bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids in the clinical treatment for asthma patients also depend on polymorphisms in the ß2-adrenoreceptor gene (ADRB2). In a case control study, individuals affected by Plasmodium falciparum malaria, asthma and controls were tested for association of six ADRB2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) viz. rs1042711, rs1801704, rs1042713, rs1042714, rs1042717 and rs1042718, by direct DNA sequencing. The rs1801704 locus was significantly associated with malaria when compared against controls. The rs1042713 polymorphism was associated with forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the FVC in asthma patients, pre (p=0.048) and post (p=0.038) treatment measurements. Predicted haplotype of the six SNPs computed from genotype data showed T-T-A-C-G-C conferred significant risk of malaria (p=0.02) whereas T-T-A-C-G-A was associated with risk of asthma (p=0.02). The haplotype T-T-G-C-G-C was protective against both malaria (p=0.02) as well as asthma (p=0.026) and C-C-G-G-G-C was protective uniquely for asthma (p=0.04). A significant outcome was that all variant alleles at the SNP loci were part of the haplotype conferring resistance to malaria disease and asthma, except rs1042713 and rs1042718 which showed very high frequency in asthma. The pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD) estimates showed a distinct LD block of all SNP loci (D'=1 or >0.8) in malaria patients. This characteristic haplotype block was disrupted in the controls due to non-significant pairwise LD of the SNP loci; and a more extensive disruption of the block was noted in asthma patients. The study provides evidence for the proposed role of ß2-adrenoreceptor mediated molecular mechanisms in etiology of malaria, as well as asthma disease and drug response, for further clinical and therapeutic application studies.