Optical and biological properties of MgO/ZnO nanocomposite derived via eggshell membrane: a bio-waste approach.

A novel synthesis of MgO/ZnO nanocomposite using a template, namely an eggshell membrane (ESM) was attempted. The nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, UV-visible, FTIR, Raman, DLS (zeta potential and particle size distribution), FESEM with EDX, and HRTEM analysis. The presence of periclase cubic MgO (space group Fm3m) and hexagonal wurtzite ZnO (space group P63mc) structures was verified by the XRD results. The average crystallite size of the MgO/ZnO nanocomposite was equal to 9.43 nm. The nanocomposite exhibited an on-set of absorbance close to 300 nm. From the taucs plot, the bandgap of the composite was calculated, and it was equal to 3.63 eV. The FTIR spectrum of the composite showed Mg-O stretching vibration at 455 cm-1 and that of Zn-O at 564 cm-1. The zeta potential and the particle size distribution of the nanocomposite were equal to - 35.5 mV and 176.1 nm. The FESEM images of the nanocomposite appeared as an aggregated honeycomb with a cubic and hexagonal structure. The EDX analysis showed the presence of Mg (23.65 atom%), Zn (27.95 atom%), and O (48.40 atom%). The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the nanocomposite were investigated using the agar-well diffusion method. The antibacterial activity exhibited the highest zone of inhibition for Bacillus subtilis (25 ± 0.41 mm) and Shigella dysenteria (25 ± 0.19 mm), whereas the antifungal activity showed the highest zone of inhibition for Aspergillus terrus (27 ± 0.25 mm). The MIC value of the nanocomposite was equal to 9.37 (µg/mL) for all the bacteria. Hence, it is verified that the present MgO/ZnO nanocomposite could very well be used to treat bacterial and fungal infections.

New disease and first report of marasmioid fungus, Marasmius palmivorus (Sharples), causing white root rot in Arachis hypogaea L.

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) plants showing distinct symptoms of necrosis of leaves and severe rotting of roots were observed in an agricultural field at Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, India. The rhizomorphs of the phytopathogenic fungus were obtained from the rotted roots of the diseased plants and were cultured in the laboratory, and based on the morphological characteristics and nucleotide sequencing analysis of ITS and nLSU region, the phytopathogen was identified as Marasmius palmivorus. The isolated fungus produced distinct fruiting bodies (basidiocarps) when grown under the laboratory conditions. The fungus grew as cottony white colonies on the potato dextrose agar medium and were found to contain septate and clamp connections when examined under light microscope. The pathogenicity of the isolated fungus was assessed by inoculating it on healthy groundnut plant under glasshouse conditions; this resulted in the establishment of typical disease symptoms, which confirmed the pathogenicity of the fungus. The fungal pathogen re-isolated from the artificially inoculated plants was used for molecular characterization and confirmed that the organism was M. palmivorus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of M. palmivorus, causing white root rot disease in A. hypogaea L.

Muscle activation strategies of people with early-stage Parkinson's during walking.

INTRODUCTION: Some people with Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently have an unsteady gait with shuffling, reduced strength, and increased rigidity. This study has investigated the difference in the neuromuscular strategies of people with early-stage PD, healthy older adults (HOA) and healthy young adult (HYA) during short-distance walking. METHOD: Surface electromyogram (sEMG) was recorded from tibialis anterior (TA) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles along with the acceleration data from the lower leg from 72 subjects-24 people with early-stage PD, 24 HOA and 24 HYA during short-distance walking on a level surface using wearable sensors. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the co-activation, a reduction in the TA modulation and an increase in the TA-MG lateral asymmetry among the people with PD during a level, straight-line walking. For people with PD, the gait impairment scale was low with an average postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD) score = 5.29 out of a maximum score of 20. Investigating the single and double support phases of the gait revealed that while the muscle activity and co-activation index (CI) of controls modulated over the gait cycle, this was highly diminished for people with PD. The biggest difference between CI of controls and people with PD was during the double support phase of gait. DISCUSSION: The study has shown that people with early-stage PD have high asymmetry, reduced modulation, and higher co-activation. They have reduced muscle activity, ability to inhibit antagonist, and modulate their muscle activities. This has the potential for diagnosis and regular assessment of people with PD to detect gait impairments using wearable sensors.

A Non-Invasive IR Sensor Technique to Differentiate Parkinson's Disease from Other Neurological Disorders Using Autonomic Dysfunction as Diagnostic Criterion.

Early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) plays a critical role in effective disease management and delayed disease progression. This study reports a technique that could diagnose and differentiate PD from essential tremor (ET) in its earlier stage using a non-motor phenotype. Autonomic dysfunction, an early symptom in PD patients, is caused by α-synuclein pathogenesis in the central nervous system and can be diagnosed using skin vasomotor response to cold stimuli. In this study, the investigations were performed using data collected from 20 PD, 20 ET and 20 healthy subjects. Infrared thermography was used for the cold stress test to observe subjects' hand temperature before and after cold stimuli. The results show that the recovery rate of hand temperature was significantly different between the groups. The data obtained in the cold stress test were verified using Pearson's cross-correlation technique, which showed that few disease parameters like medication and motor rating score had an impact on the recovery rate of hand temperature in PD subjects. The characteristics of the three groups were compared and classified using the k-means clustering algorithm. The sensitivity and specificity of these techniques were analyzed using an Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyzer. These results show that this non-invasive technique can be used as an effective tool in the diagnosis and differentiation of PD in its early stage.

Environmental applications of microbial extracellular polymeric substance (EPS): A review.

During the last decade, water demand and wastewater generation has increased due to urbanization around the globe which had led to an increase in the utilization of chemicals/synthetic polymers for treating the wastewaters. These synthetic polymers used during the coagulation/flocculation process are non-renewable, non-biodegradable, and have a potential neurotoxic and carcinogenic effect. From the literature it is clear that extracellular polymer substance (EPS) is a potential bioflocculant, moreover it is renewable, biodegradable, eco-friendly, non-toxic as well as economically valued product. The various identification techniques and extraction methods of EPS are elaborated. Further application of EPS as absorbent in removing the dye from the industrial effluent is presented. Moreover EPS as a potential adsorbent for heavy metal removal from the various effluent is discussed. In addition, EPS is also utilized for soil remediation and soil erosion control. Mainly, EPS as bioflocculant in treating raw water, wastewater treatment, leachate and sludge management are summarized in this review.

Selection of suitable hand gestures for reliable myoelectric human computer interface.

BACKGROUND: Myoelectric controlled prosthetic hand requires machine based identification of hand gestures using surface electromyogram (sEMG) recorded from the forearm muscles. This study has observed that a sub-set of the hand gestures have to be selected for an accurate automated hand gesture recognition, and reports a method to select these gestures to maximize the sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: Experiments were conducted where sEMG was recorded from the muscles of the forearm while subjects performed hand gestures and then was classified off-line. The performances of ten gestures were ranked using the proposed Positive-Negative Performance Measurement Index (PNM), generated by a series of confusion matrices. RESULTS: When using all the ten gestures, the sensitivity and specificity was 80.0% and 97.8%. After ranking the gestures using the PNM, six gestures were selected and these gave sensitivity and specificity greater than 95% (96.5% and 99.3%); Hand open, Hand close, Little finger flexion, Ring finger flexion, Middle finger flexion and Thumb flexion. CONCLUSION: This work has shown that reliable myoelectric based human computer interface systems require careful selection of the gestures that have to be recognized and without such selection, the reliability is poor.

sEMG feature evaluation for identification of elbow angle resolution in graded arm movement.

Automatic and accurate identification of elbow angle from surface electromyogram (sEMG) is essential for myoelectric controlled upper limb exoskeleton systems. This requires appropriate selection of sEMG features, and identifying the limitations of such a system.This study has demonstrated that it is possible to identify three discrete positions of the elbow; full extension, right angle, and mid-way point, with window size of only 200 milliseconds. It was seen that while most features were suitable for this purpose, Power Spectral Density Averages (PSD-Av) performed best. The system correctly classified the sEMG against the elbow angle for 100% cases when only two discrete positions (full extension and elbow at right angle) were considered, while correct classification was 89% when there were three discrete positions. However, sEMG was unable to accurately determine the elbow position when five discrete angles were considered. It was also observed that there was no difference for extension or flexion phases.

Age-associated changes in muscle activity during isometric contraction.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the effect of age on the complexity of muscle activity and the variance in the force of isometric contraction. METHODS: Surface electromyography (sEMG) from biceps brachii muscle and force of contraction were recorded from 96 subjects (20-70 years of age) during isometric contractions. RESULTS: There was a reduction in the complexity of sEMG associated with aging. The relationship of age and complexity was approximated using a bilinear fit, with the average knee point at 45 years. There was an age-associated increase in the coefficient of variation (CoV) of the force of muscle contraction, and this increase was correlated with the decrease in complexity of sEMG (r(2) = 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: There was an age-associated increase in CoV and also a reduction in the complexity of sEMG. The correlation between these 2 factors can be explained based on the age-associated increase in motor unit density.

Barriers related to Oral Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment in Karnataka, India.

BACKGROUND: The most predominant cancer in India is Oral cancer. Annually 130,000 people yield to oral cancer in India, which translates into about 14 deaths per hour and 60-80% of patients present with advanced disease as compared to 40% in developed countries. AIM: To decide factors associated with primary, secondary and tertiary delays and identify reasons for a lack of follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru. A hospitalbased cross-sectional study using the direct personal interview method was done. A total of 200 oral cancer patients were included in the study. RESULTS: 34.5% were men and 65.5% were women. About 97.5% of patients were engaged with either one of the habits like smoking, chewing or alcohol consumption. 84% of patients were not aware of the risk of getting oral cancer. 29% of people agreed that tobacco and alcohol are risk factors for oral cancer and they know about the signs of oral cancer. If detected early, cure rates were higher compared to illiterate people and this difference is statistically significant p< 0.05. 83.5% of patients did not know that oral cancer can be diagnosed early by regular screening of the oral cavity. The cost of staying near a Regional cancer centre, job security, and the social and economic burden on relatives were significant barriers to incomplete treatment and a decreased follow-up rate. CONCLUSION: Low awareness is the main barrier to oral cancer detection. Conducting cancer awareness and screening camps frequently will detect oral cancers at an early stage. KEY WORDS: Oral Cancer, Barriers, Cancer awareness, Oral Screening.

A Review of Spectroscopic and Non-Spectroscopic Techniques for Diagnosing Breast Cancer.

Malignancy, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounts for 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Around 1 out of 6 deaths are the direct result of the malignancy. Clinicians claim that age and breast density are two preliminary factors increasing the risk of cancer. The mortality rate brought about by malignant growth in low and high income countries is, for the most part, around 70%. Imaging techniques play a vital role in the detection, and staging, thereby helping in treatment decision making. This review paper presents a comprehensive survey involving a literature study about the evolution and efficacy of various breast cancer detection techniques. This work studies various procedures of imaging techniques such as mammograms, ultrasound, MRI, PET, CT, Terahertz Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, Optical coherence Tomography, Mass spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and Infrared Thermography. Since cancer is a complicated illness with diverse pathophysiologies, numerous modifications of the fundamental detection approach employed in each of these modalities have been performed throughout the years to increase the detection efficiency. This paper covers basic preliminary results with FFPE breast cancer blocks of malignant and normal subjects using THz Techniques that are presented as proof of concept to carry out further research.

A translational study for detection of cardiac autonomic neuropathy using fractal features: A bench to bedside approach.

Cardiac autonomic Neuropathy (CAN) is an acute complication of Diabetes mellitus (DM) that does not exhibit overt symptoms in the subclinical stage. Researchers have developed several techniques that have proved to give higher efficiency in classification using software tools. The challenge in implementing the same using hardware for diagnosis fails when classification boundaries are mismatched, as there are more chances of misinterpreting the classes. In this study, we have introduced translational research between the complexity analysis using software and verifying the same by deploying it in hardware using a controller board by investigating the error percentage in classifying normal (N) and early CAN (E). The study reveals that among the segments specific to CAN diagnosis, RR and ST show more error percentages (12±8 %). In contrast, PR and QT show a lesser error percentage (6±4 %) between software and hardware implementation of Fractal dimension (FD) values.

Comparison of dosimetric analysis of organs at risk and target volumes for ovoids and cylinders in endometrial carcinoma.

Purpose: To compare dose volume parameters of target and organs at risk in vaginal vault brachytherapy using ovoids or cylinder in post-operative endometrial carcinoma. Material and methods: The study was done among 25 histologically proven post-operative endometrial carcinoma patients requiring vaginal brachytherapy. All patients underwent both cylinder and ovoids application alternatively on weekly basis. Ovoids size ranged from 2 to 3 cm diameter. Diameters of cylinder ranged between 2.5 and 3.5 cm. Bladder, rectum, urethra, and clinical target volume (CTV) were contoured on CT simulation images. Prescribed dose was 6-7 Gy in 2-3 fractions at 0.5 cm from the surface of applicator. Results: The mean values of D90, D50, V150, V100, V90, and V50 of CTV were comparable between cylinder and ovoids plans. The mean dose of CTV was significantly higher with cylinder than with ovoids, and D100 was significantly higher with ovoids (mean = 15.63 Gy vs. 14.64 Gy, p = 0.016, and D100 = 37.82% vs. 42.86%, p = 0.042, for cylinder vs. ovoids). In the dosimetry of the vault, D90, D50, V100, V90, V50, and mean of the vault did not show any significant difference between cylinder and ovoids. The V150 was significantly higher with cylinder plans than ovoids, and D100 of the vault was significantly higher with ovoids plans (V150 = 14.81% vs. 6.86%, p = 0.02, and D100 = 37.77% vs. 44.80%, p = 0.029, for cylinder vs. ovoids). D0.1cc, D1cc, D2cc, and mean for the bladder, rectum, and urethra were comparable between the cylinder and ovoid plans. Conclusions: The present study showed that the dose to organs at risk, most of the dosimetric parameters of CTV, and vault were comparable between the cylinder and ovoid plans. Both applicators provide good reproducibility. The choice of applicator will ultimately depend on the institutional policies and oncologist decision. However, in patients with dog-ear configuration of the vagina, ovoids may be preferred as per ABS guidelines.

Carbon-supported Pd-Co as cathode catalyst for APEMFCs and validation by DFT.

Carbon supported PdCo catalysts in varying atomic ratios of Pd to Co, namely 1 : 1, 2 : 1 and 3 : 1, were prepared. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied on commercial carbon-supported Pd and carbon-supported PdCo nanocatalysts in aqueous 0.1 M KOH solution with and without methanol. The structure, dispersion, electrochemical characterization and surface area of PdCo/C were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), respectively. The electrochemical activity for ORR was evaluated from Linear Sweep Voltammograms (LSV) obtained using a rotating ring disk electrode. The catalysts were evaluated for their electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in Alkaline Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (APEMFCs). PdCo(3 : 1)/C gives higher performance (85 mW cm(-2)) than PdCo(1 : 1)/C, PdCo(2 : 1)/C and Pd/C. The maximum electrocatalytic activity for ORR in the presence of methanol was observed for PdCo(3 : 1)/C. First principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory were performed to understand the origin of its catalytic activity based on the energy of adsorption of an O(2) molecule on the cluster, structural variation and charge transfer mechanism.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in prostate cancer: A comparative review of efficacy and safety.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) using gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (s) (GnRH-A) remains the backbone of advanced prostate cancer treatment. In this review, we assessed the efficacy, safety, and convenience of administration of various GnRH-A. All GnRH-A (goserelin, triptorelin, buserelin, histrelin, and leuprorelin) have comparable potential to suppress testosterone (T) levels (≤50 ng/dL in a month and ≤20 ng/dL in 3 months). However, goserelin has shown better efficacy in maintaining T levels ≤50 ng/dL compared with leuprolide. The incidences of T escape are lower with goserelin and leuprolide than buserelin. Goserelin also has maximum benefit in prostate-specific antigen suppression. In neoadjuvant setting, when only goserelin was used, the 10-year overall survival (OS) rate was 42.6% to 86%. When either goserelin or leuprolide was used, the 10-year OS rate was 62%. As an adjuvant to radical prostatectomy, goserelin had a 10-year survival rate of 87%, and triptorelin had an 8-year survival rate of 84.6%. Goserelin further showed an absolute survival rate of 49% when used as an adjuvant to radiotherapy. The survival rates further improved when GnRH-A are used as combined androgen blockade compared with monotherapy. The frequency and severity of adverse events (hot flushes, fatigue, sexual dysfunction) are comparable among the GnRH-A. Goserelin appears to be the most convenient of all the GnRH-A for administration. Lack of conclusive comparative evidence makes it imperative to have a holistic approach of considering the patient profile and the disease characteristics to select the appropriate GnRH-A for ADT in prostate cancer.

Recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the skin treated with immunotherapy.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has a good prognosis, while metastatic tumors have aggressive behavior. Immunotherapy has become a standard line of treatment in metastatic cancers; pembrolizumab has shown promising results and improved quality of life in recurrent and metastatic cancers. We report a case of recurrent SCC of the skin with extensive disease and a known case of human immunodeficiency virus. He completed standard lines of treatment and currently on immunotherapy. After 3 cycles of immunotherapy plus chemotherapy, he got a complete metabolic response. Our experience showed palliative benefits and increased quality of life.

Durable electrocatalytic-activity of Pt-Au/C cathode in PEMFCs.

Longevity remains as one of the central issues in the successful commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and primarily hinges on the durability of the cathode. Incorporation of gold (Au) to platinum (Pt) is known to ameliorate both the electrocatalytic activity and stability of cathode in relation to pristine Pt-cathodes that are currently being used in PEMFCs. In this study, an accelerated stress test (AST) is conducted to simulate prolonged fuel-cell operating conditions by potential cycling the carbon-supported Pt-Au (Pt-Au/C) cathode. The loss in performance of PEMFC with Pt-Au/C cathode is found to be ∼10% after 7000 accelerated potential-cycles as against ∼60% for Pt/C cathode under similar conditions. These data are in conformity with the electrochemical surface-area values. PEMFC with Pt-Au/C cathode can withstand >10,000 potential cycles with very little effect on its performance. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies on the catalyst before and after AST suggest that incorporating Au with Pt helps mitigate aggregation of Pt particles during prolonged fuel-cell operations while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reflects that the metallic nature of Pt is retained in the Pt-Au catalyst during AST in comparison to Pt/C that shows a major portion of Pt to be present as oxidic platinum. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy conducted on the membrane electrode assembly before and after AST suggests that incorporating Au with Pt helps mitigating deformations in the catalyst layer.

Spatial Intensity Map of HDEMG Based Classification of Muscle Fatigue.

In this, study, we have investigated to identify the muscle fatigue using spatial maps of High-Density Electromyography (HDEMG). The experiment involves subjects performing plantar flexion at 40% maximum voluntary contraction until fatigue. During the experiment, HDEMG signal was recorded from the tibialis anterior muscle. The monopolar and bipolar spatial intensity maps were extracted from the HDEMG signal. The random forest classifier with different tree configurations was tested to distinguish nonfatigue and fatigue condition. The results indicate that selected electrodes from the differential intensity map results in an accuracy of 83.3% with the number of trees set at 17. This method of spatial analysis of HDEMG signals may be extended to assess fatigue in real life scenarios.

Pupillometric recordings to detect glaucoma.

Objective. Glaucoma is the second cause of vision loss with early diagnosis having significantly better prognosis. We propose the use of hippus, the steady-state pupil oscillations, obtained from an eye-tracker for computerised detection of glaucoma.Approach. Pupillary data were recorded using a commercial eye-tracker device directly to the laptop. A total of 40 glaucoma patients and 30 age-matched controls were recruited for the study. The signals were de-noised, and the entropy of the steady-state oscillations was obtained for two light intensities, 34 and 100 cd m-2.Main results. The results show that at 100 cd m-2, there was significant difference (p < 0.05) between the sample entropy of the healthy eyes (0.55 ± 0.017) and glaucoma eyes (0.7 ± 0.034). The results at 34 cd m-2were also significantly different, though to a lesser extent.Significance. Entropy of the pupillary oscillations, or hippus, obtained using an eye-tracking device showed a significant difference between glaucoma and healthy eyes. The method used commercially available inexpensive hardware and thus has the potential for wide-scale deployment for computerized detection of glaucoma.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of prenylated chalcones as 5-LOX inhibitors.

Ten novel mono- and di-O-prenylated chalcone derivatives were designed on the basis of a homology derived molecular model of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). The compounds were docked into 5-LOX active site and the binding characteristics were quantified using LUDI. To verify our theoretical assumption, the molecules were synthesized and tested for their 5-LOX inhibitory activities. The synthesis was carried out by Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction of mono- and di-O-prenylated acetophenones with appropriate aldehydes. 5-LOX in vitro inhibition assay showed higher potency of di-O-prenylated chalcones than their mono-O-prenylated chalcone analogs. Compound 5e exhibited good inhibition with an IC(50) at 4 microM. The overall trend for the binding energies calculated and LUDI score was in good qualitative agreement with the experimental data. Further, the compound 5e showed potent anti-proliferative effects (GI(50) at 9 microM) on breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.