Reconstruction of Defects Following Excision of Basal Cell Carcinoma of Face: A Subunit-based Algorithm.

Introduction: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a locally invasive, slowly spreading tumor arising in the basal layer of epidermis and rarely metastasizes. Surgical excision with adequate margins is curative. Reconstruction of post-excisional defects on the face is both essential and challenging. Clinical Cases and Methods: A retrospective review of hospital records for patients operated for BCC of the face excluding the pinna at our institute in the last 3 years was done and a review of the literature was carried out to identify the most common principles governing the optimal reconstruction of post-excisional defects on the face. Literature search was made in Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases in the last two decades with the filters placed for human and English language studies with the search terms (Facial Basal cell carcinoma) AND reconstruction AND (Humans[Mesh]). Results: Records of 32 patients with facial BCC who underwent excision and reconstruction at our hospital were identified and details were recorded. Our literature search with the terms and filters mentioned above revealed 244 studies with duplicates removed. After further hand-searching, 218 journal articles were identified, reviewed, and a reconstruction algorithm was designed based on the findings. Discussion: Reconstruction of post-BCC excisional defects of the face relies on an adequate understanding of the general principles of reconstruction, subunit principle of facial esthetics, flap anatomy and vascularity as well as operator experience. Complex defects need innovative solutions, multidisciplinary approaches, and newer methods of reconstruction like perforator flaps and newer techniques like supermicrosurgery. Conclusion: Multiple reconstructive options for post-excisional defects of the BCC over the face are available and most defects can be approached in an algorithmic manner. Further well-designed prospective research studies are needed to compare outcomes of different reconstructive options for a given defect and identify the most suitable options.

Cationic, amphipathic small molecules based on a triazine-piperazine-triazine scaffold as a new class of antimicrobial agents.

Poor proteolytic resistance, toxicity and salt/serum sensitivity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) limits their practical clinical application. Here, to overcome these drawbacks of AMPs and develop novel antimicrobial agents, a series of small molecules based on a triazine-piperazine-triazine scaffold that mimic the cationic amphipathic structure of AMPs were synthesized and evaluated their potential as a new class of antimicrobial agents. All designed compounds showed strong antimicrobial activity and negligible hemolytic activity. Particularly, five compounds (9, 11, 12, 15, and 16) presented excellent cell selectivity with proteolytic resistance, salt/serum stability and anti-inflammatory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. These five compounds exhibited similar or 2-4 fold higher antimicrobial activity than melittin against six antibiotic-resistant bacteria tested. Similar to the intracellular-targeting AMP, buforin-2, these compounds displayed an intracellular mode of antimicrobial action. These compounds showed potent biofilm inhibitory and eradicating activities against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA). Additionally, these compounds displayed synergistic or additive effects when combined with selected clinically used antibiotics. Furthermore, these compounds have been proven to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine release by directly binding to LPS and blocking the interaction between LPS and CD14/TLR4 receptor in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of the designed compounds as a novel class of multifunctional antimicrobial agents to combat bacterial infection.

Novel study on improvement of plastics properties by blending of waste micro plastics into ABS plastics.

Occupancy of waste micro plastic particles in the beach sand is found hazardous sea livings as well as creates the environmental issues. Many research attempts have been made to short out them. This investigation focuses on utilizing such micro plastic to produce cost effective ABS plasticproducts including toys manufacturing. The screened out micro plastic particles were chemically refined to obtain the pro form of Polypropylene (PP) and Polystyrene (PS) and then they used (10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%and 25 wt%) with raw ABS plastic and prepared billets by injection moulding. The moulding parameters like melting temperature (230 °C, 240 °C, 250 °C and 260 °C), injection pressure (1300 bar, 1400 bar, 1500 bar and 1600 bar) and injection time (0.4s, 0.8s, 1.2s and 1.6s) to maximize the Impact, tensile and flexural strengths of proposed plastic with Taguchi method. The results reveal that 25% micro plastic reinforced specimen prepared at 250 °C, 1400 bar and 1.6s, is outperformed.

Investigations on influences of MWCNT composite membranes in oil refineries waste water treatment with Taguchi route.

Most of the 'oil refineries' severally pollutes the water resources by depleting their untreated waste water like cooling water, storm water and unsanitary sewage water. These wastewaters are to be treated with high care to protect the human, pebbles, plants, fish and other water animals and from harmful effects. The present study focused to treat the oil refinery wastewater by means of Multi wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) coated Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The main objectives are: to increases the life of filter, reduce the percolation flux and reduce the formation of antifouling in the filter by using MWCNT composite membrane in it. Different process parameters of the proposed water treatment process, like diameter of MWCNT (15 nm, 20 nm, 25 nm and 30 nm), operating pressure (3 bar, 4 bar, 5 bar and 6 bar), pH value (3, 5, 7 and 9) and temperature (25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C and 40 °C) temperature. Taguchi statistical technique is employed for designing experiments and for optimizing the process parameters of wastewater treatment process of an oil refinery. The proposed filter for wastewater treatment exhibited appreciable performance in removal rate of Percolation flux, percentage of chemical oxygen demand removal and percentage of total carbolic rejection as 27.2 kg/m2h, 78.51% and 95.33% respectively.

Biodegradation of low-density polyethylene and polypropylene by microbes isolated from Vaigai River, Madurai, India.

The present study aimed to evaluate the microplastic degradation efficiency of bacterial isolates collected from Vaigai River, Madurai, India. The isolates were processed with proper methods and incorporated in to the UV-treated polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) degradation. Based on preliminary screening, four bacterial isolates such as Bacillus sp. (BS-1), Bacillus cereus (BC), Bacillus sp. (BS-2), and Bacillus paramycoides (BP) were proceed to further degradation experiment for 21 days. The microplastics were filled with bacterial isolates which is use microplastic (PE, PP) as carbon source for their growth and proceed for shake flask experiment were carried out by two approaches with control. The microplastic degradation was confirmed through their weight loss, increasing fragmentations and changes of surface area against control experiments (microplastic without isolates) also confirms degrading efficiency of isolated bacterial strains through non-changes in their weight and surface area. The highest degradation of PP and PE were observed in BP (78.99 ± 0.005%), and BC (63.08 ± 0.009%) in single approach, while in combined approach BC & BP recorded the highest degradation in both PP (78.62 ± 2.16%), and PE (72.50 ± 20.53%). The formation of new functional groups is confirming the biofilm formation in the surface area of microplastics by isolates and proving their efficiency in degrade the microplastics. The degradation of microplastic experiments should be cost effective and zero waste which is helpful to save the environment and the present findings could reveal the way to degrade the microplastics and prevent the microplastic pollution in aquatic environment.

Gibberellic acids promote growth and exopolysaccharide production in Tetraselmis suecica under reciprocal nitrogen concentration: an assessment on antioxidant properties and nutrient removal efficacy of immobilized iron-magnetic nanoparticles.

The present study was aimed to assess the effect of gibberellic acids to enhance the growth, biomass, pigment, and exopolysaccharides production in Tetraselmis suecica under reciprocal nitrogen concentrations. For this study, the seven types of experimental media (N-P, NL-P/2GA3, N0-P/2GA3, NL-P/4GA3, N0-P/4GA3, NL-P/6GA3, and N0-P/6GA3) were prepared with the addition of gibberellic acids under various nitrogen concentrations. The experiment lasted for 15 days and the cell density, biomass, chlorophyll 'a', and exopolysaccharides (EPS) concentration of T. suecica were estimated for every 3 days. Then the EPS was subjected to the analyses of chemical (carbohydrate, protein, sulfate, and uronic acid), and antioxidant activity. In addition, nutrient removal efficiency was evaluated using different concentration of EPS. The highest DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) (86.7 ± 0.95%) and hydroxyl radical activity (85.7 ± 2.48%) were observed at the EPS concentrations 2.5 and 1.2 mg/mL, respectively. The immobilized magnetic Fe3O4-EPS (ferric oxide-exopolysaccharides) nanoparticles (5.0 and 10.0 g/L) have efficiently removed the excessive phosphate (89.5 ± 1.65%) and nitrate (73.5 ± 1.72%) from the Litopenaeus vannamei cultured wastewater. Thus, the application of gibberellic acids combined with limited nitrogen concentration could produce higher EPS that could exhibit excellent antioxidant activity, and nutrient removal efficacy in the form of Fe3O4-EPS magnetic nanoparticles.

Baseline assessment of water quality and ecological indicators in Penaeus vannamei farm wastewater along the Southeast coast of India.

The present study aimed to investigate the water quality characteristics and the ecological indicators of wastewater of white legged shrimp Penaeus vannamei ponds along the Southeast coast of India. The wastewater samples were collected from 15 shrimp farms covering 11 districts located along the coastal line of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, India. By adopting standard methods, the collected samples were subjected to analyses of physico-chemical and biological characteristics, especially the microbial load and metal and plankton composition. The nitrate-nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, THB, TCB, and Cu concentrations of the samples were found to exceed the permissible limit as recommended by WHO, USEPA, CPCB, and CAA. Principal component analysis and canonical correspondence analysis have suggested that the phosphate, nitrate, silicate, ammonia, and total phosphorus are the important chemical factors. The generated data would be of interest to farmers for their shrimp crop management vis-à-vis culture pond wastewater treatment.

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in different organs of Labeo rohita, Pangasius hypophthalmus, and Katsuwonus pelamis from Visakhapatnam, India.

The bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cd, Co, Cu, and Fe) in fish tissues was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (spectra 220) and Mercury (Hg) content was estimated by using a mercury analyzer. Various organs (eye, gill, gut, gonad, liver, skin, and muscle) of three fish species, i.e., Labeo rohita, Pangasius hypophthalmus and Katsuwonus pelamis, from Visakhapatnam were analyzed. Young and aged fish were chosen based on their length: LR-32, LR-49 (Rohu); PH-33, PH-56 (Pangasius); and KP-18, KP-52 (Skipjack). In both the small and big size of L. rohita and P. hypophthalmus, the metal concentration was in the order Fe > Zn > Cu whereas Pb, Hg, and Co were below detectable limit (BDL). Concentrations in K. pelamis was Fe > Zn > Cu > Cd and Pb, Hg, and Co were BDL. In conclusion, the metal concentrations in the examined fish species available in Visakhapatnam fall below the maximum permissible limit (MPL) for human consumption recommended by FAO, WHO, MAFF, and EC.

Cadaveric Bilateral Transhumeral Upper Limb Transplantation: Journey to the Next level.

Organ transplant has, arguably, been the pinnacle of the advancement in medical science so far and vascularized composite allotransplantation has been the most recent addition to it. The scope of vascularized tissue allotransplantation has been widening with each passing day and more and more reports regarding the safety and efficacy of the procedure have been described. Due to the limited available literature on the management of the complications and implications of the hand transplant, the importance of each report on the procedure is paramount. A mid-arm allotransplant is a challenge in terms of expected motor recovery, and many controversies exist over the efficacy of the procedure altogether. Moreover, our case was complicated by a long ischemia time due to logistic reasons. We share our experience of a transhumeral upper limb allotransplantation, the complications associated with it along with the early postoperative results at 10 months follow up.

Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of chemokine CXCL14-derived antimicrobial peptide and its analogs.

CXCL14 is a CXC chemokine family that exhibits antimicrobial activity and contains an amphipathic cationic α-helical region in the C-terminus, a characteristic structure of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In this study, we designed three analogs of CXCL1459-75 (named CXCL14-C17) corresponding to the C-terminal α-helix of CXCL14, which displayed potential antimicrobial activity against a wide variety of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 4-16 µM without mammalian cell toxicity. Furthermore, two CXCL14-C17 analogs (CXCL14-C17-a1 and CXCL14-C17-a3) with improved cell selectivity were engineered by introducing Lys, Arg, or Trp in CXCL14-C17. Additionally, CXCL14-C17 analogs showed much greater synergistic effect (FICI: 0.3125-0.375) with chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA) than LL-37 did (FICI: 0.75-1.125). CXCL14-C17 analogs were more active against antibiotic-resistant bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), MDRPA, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) than LL-37 and melittin. In particular, CXCL14-C17-a2 and CXCL14-C17-a3 completely inhibited the biofilm formation at sub-MIC and all of the peptides were able to eliminate pre-formed biofilm as well. Membrane depolarization, flow cytometry, sytox green uptake, ONPG hydrolysis and confocal microscopy revealed the possible target of the native peptide (CXCL14-C17) to likely be intracellular, and the amphipathic designed analogs targeted the bacterial membrane. CXCL14-C17 also showed DNA binding characteristic activity similar to buforin-2. Interestingly, CXCL14-C17-a2 and CXCL14-C17-a3 effectively inhibited the production and expression of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, suggesting that these peptides could be promising anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents.

Formulation and biological actions of nano-bioglass ceramic particles doped with Calcarea phosphorica for bone tissue engineering.

The improvisation of the treatment procedures for treating the various kind of bone defects such as, bone or dental trauma and for diseases such as osteoporosis, osteomyelitis etc., need the suitable and promising biomaterials with resemblance of bone components. Bioactive glass ceramic (BGC) has recently acquired great attention as the most promising biomaterials; hence it has been widely applied as a filler material for bone tissue regeneration. Because it elicts specific biological responses after implantation in addition more potential in formation of strong interface with both hard and soft tissues by dissolution of calcium and phosphate ions. Hence, the current focus in treating the bone defects by orchestrating the biomaterial in combination of alternative medicine such as homeopathic remedies with biomaterials to prevent the adverse effects at minimal concentrations. So the current study was focused on constructing the nano-bioglass ceramic particles (nBGC) doped with novel homeopathic remedy Calcarea phosphorica for dental and bone therapeutic implants. The nBGC particles were synthesized by sol-gel method and reinforced with commercially available Calcarea phosphorica. The synthesized particles were characterized by SEM, DLS, EDS, FT-IR, and XRD studies. The SEM and DLS were shown the size of the particles at nano scale, also the EDS, and FT-IR investigations indicated that the Calcarea phosphorica was integrated with nBGC particles and also the crystalline nature of particles was confirmed by XRD studies. Both nBGC and Calcarea phosphorica doped nBGC (CP-nBGC) were found to be non toxic to mouse mesenchymal stem cells at lower concentrations and also illustrated the better bone forming ability in vitro.

Expression of apoptosis regulating proteins p53 and bcl-2 in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Dysfunctional apoptosis has an important role in the development of several skin diseases. Psoriatic keratinocytes possess an enhanced ability to resist apoptosis, which might be one of the key pathogenetic mechanisms in psoriasis. P53 and bcl-2 are two proteins which control apoptosis. Several studies have evaluated the expression of these two proteins in the psoriatic skin, but the results are controversial. METHODS: Fifty-eight cases of psoriatic skin biopsies were studied, and the grade of p53 and bcl-2 immunostaining was correlated with the histopathological indices of severity. RESULTS: Bcl-2 expression in the epidermis strongly correlated with the expression in the basal cells and lymphocytes (P--0.001 and 0.035). There was no correlation with epidermal hyperplasia or with p53 expression in the three compartments. Bcl-2 expression in the basal layer correlated with the p53 expression in the epidermis (P--0.027), basal layer (P--0.015) and the lymphocytes (P--0.034). There was a strong correlation among the p53 expression in all the compartments. There was also a weak correlation of the p53 expression in the epidermis with the epidermal hyperplasia (P--0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Bcl-2 does not appear to play an important role in the apoptotic process in psoriasis. In contrast, it is likely that p53 has a far more important role to play. Mutation analysis of the p53 protein is necessary to evaluate if the protein has mutated or if it is of the wild type.

Phytoremediation of dye contaminated soil by Leucaena leucocephala (subabul) seed and growth assessment of Vigna radiata in the remediated soil.

The present study was investigated for soil bioremediation through sababul plant biomass (Leucaena leucocephala). The soil contaminated with textile effluent was collected from Erode (chithode) area. Various physico-chemical characterizations like N, P, and K and electrical conductivity were assessed on both control and dye contaminated soils before and after remediation. Sababul (L. leucocephala) powder used as plant biomass for remediation was a tool for textile dye removal using basic synthetic dyes by column packing and eluting. The concentration of the dye eluted was compared with its original concentration of dye and were analyzed by using UV-vis spectrophotometer. Sababul plant biomass was analyzed for its physico-chemical properties and active compounds were detected by GC-MS, HPTLC and FTIR. Plant growth was assessed with green gram on the textile contaminated soil and sababul had the potential of adsorbing the dye as the contaminated soil and also check the growth of green gram.

Arabidopsis ATG4 cysteine proteases specificity toward ATG8 substrates.

Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) is a regulated intracellular process during which cytoplasmic cargo engulfed by double-membrane autophagosomes is delivered to the vacuole or lysosome for degradation and recycling. Atg8 that is conjugated to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) during autophagy plays an important role not only in autophagosome biogenesis but also in cargo recruitment. Conjugation of PE to Atg8 requires processing of the C-terminal conserved glycine residue in Atg8 by the Atg4 cysteine protease. The Arabidopsis plant genome contains 9 Atg8 (AtATG8a to AtATG8i) and 2 Atg4 (AtATG4a and AtATG4b) family members. To understand AtATG4's specificity toward different AtATG8 substrates, we generated a unique synthetic substrate C-AtATG8-ShR (citrine-AtATG8-Renilla luciferase SuperhRLUC). In vitro analyses indicated that AtATG4a is catalytically more active and has broad AtATG8 substrate specificity compared with AtATG4b. Arabidopsis transgenic plants expressing the synthetic substrate C-AtAtg8a-ShR is efficiently processed by endogenous AtATG4s and targeted to the vacuole during nitrogen starvation. These results indicate that the synthetic substrate mimics endogenous AtATG8, and its processing can be monitored in vivo by a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assay. The synthetic Atg8 substrates provide an easy and versatile method to study plant autophagy during different biological processes.

Differential processing of Arabidopsis ubiquitin-like Atg8 autophagy proteins by Atg4 cysteine proteases.

Autophagy is a highly conserved biological process during which double membrane bound autophagosomes carry intracellular cargo material to the vacuole or lysosome for degradation and/or recycling. Autophagosome biogenesis requires Autophagy 4 (Atg4) cysteine protease-mediated processing of ubiquitin-like Atg8 proteins. Unlike single Atg4 and Atg8 genes in yeast, the Arabidopsis genome contains two Atg4 (AtAtg4a and AtAtg4b) and nine Atg8 (AtAtg8a-AtAtg8i) genes. However, we know very little about specificity of different AtAtg4s for processing of different AtAtg8s. Here, we describe a unique bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based AtAtg8 synthetic substrate to assess AtAtg4 activity in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we developed a unique native gel assay of superhRLUC catalytic activity assay to monitor cleavage of AtAtg8s in vitro. Our results indicate that AtAtg4a is the predominant protease and that it processes AtAtg8a, AtAtg8c, AtAtg8d, and AtAtg8i better than AtAtg4b in vitro. In addition, kinetic analyses indicate that although both AtAtg4s have similar substrate affinity, AtAtg4a is more active than AtAtg4b in vitro. Activity of AtAtg4s is reversibly inhibited in vitro by reactive oxygen species such as H2O2. Our in vivo bioluminescence resonance energy transfer analyses in Arabidopsis transgenic plants indicate that the AtAtg8 synthetic substrate is efficiently processed and this is AtAtg4 dependent. These results indicate that the synthetic AtAtg8 substrate is used efficiently in the biogenesis of autophagosomes in vivo. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the AtAtg8 synthetic substrate will be a valuable tool to dissect autophagy processes and the role of autophagy during different biological processes in plants.

Bipaddled submental artery flap.

Oral cancer is a major public health problem in India. Most patients present with locally advanced disease requiring complex resection and reconstruction strategies. Costs, operating time and availability of expertise are major issues that influence efficient health delivery, especially in developing countries such as India. Technically simple and widely reproducible techniques may be used successfully where applicable, to overcome these issues. The submental artery flap is a well described and acceptable alternative to the radial artery forearm free flap in oral cavity reconstruction. Researchers have demonstrated its technical ease of performance and reproducibility amongst trainees. Here the authors describe the bipaddled submental artery flap, a modification of the standard flap, which can be used to provide lining as well as skin cover for a full thickness cheek defect. Two skin paddles are fashioned taking advantage of the vascular anatomy of the submental vessels.

What can plant autophagy do for an innate immune response?

Autophagy plays an established role in the execution of senescence, starvation, and stress responses in plants. More recently, an emerging role for autophagy has been discovered during the plant innate immune response. Recent papers have shown autophagy to restrict, and conversely, to also promote programmed cell death (PCD) at the site of pathogen infection. These initial studies have piqued our excitement, but they have also revealed gaps in our understanding of plant autophagy regulation, in our ability to monitor autophagy in plant cells, and in our ability to manipulate autophagic activity. In this review, we present the most pressing questions now facing the field of plant autophagy in general, with specific focus on autophagy as it occurs during a plant-pathogen interaction. To begin to answer these questions, we place recent findings in the context of studies of autophagy and immunity in other systems, and in the context of the mammalian immune response in particular.

Studying NB-LRR immune receptor localization by agroinfiltration transient expression.

NB-LRR immune receptors in plants play dual roles as sentries and as activators of defense. The site in the cell where these activities take place can be different for different NB-LRRs. Furthermore, recognition and defense activation can occur in distinct subcellular compartments. Therefore, determining the subcellular localization of NB-LRRs is a key step toward understanding how they function. Recent advances in confocal microscopy enable high-resolution imaging of proteins in live cells. Agroinfiltration in the Nicotiana benthamiana model plant system is a convenient way of expressing proteins for localization studies. This chapter explains how to use N. benthamiana to transiently express NB-LRRs for confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Virus-induced gene silencing in nicotiana benthamiana and other plant species.

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an efficient tool for high throughput reverse genetic screens. VIGS engages the endogenous RNA-silencing machinery of the plant host, and can yield an 85-95% reduction of target transcripts. Gene silencing is rapid, target-specific, and does not require the creation of stable transformants. The technique has been used successfully in numerous Solanaceae species as well as in Arabidopsis, maize, and rice. Here we describe a protocol for conducting a VIGS screen in Nicotiana benthamiana using Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV) based silencing vectors. This protocol can readily be adapted to many other model plant species.