Deep learning based diagnostic quality assessment of choroidal OCT features with expert-evaluated explainability.

Various vision-threatening eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) are caused due to the dysfunctions manifested in the highly vascular choroid layer of the posterior segment of the eye. In the current clinical practice, screening choroidal structural changes is widely based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Accordingly, to assist clinicians, several automated choroidal biomarker detection methods using OCT images are developed. However, the performance of these algorithms is largely constrained by the quality of the OCT scan. Consequently, determining the quality of choroidal features in OCT scans is significant in building standardized quantification tools and hence constitutes our main objective. This study includes a dataset of 1593 good and 2581 bad quality Spectralis OCT images graded by an expert. Noting the efficacy of deep-learning (DL) in medical image analysis, we propose to train three state-of-the-art DL models: ResNet18, EfficientNet-B0 and EfficientNet-B3 to detect the quality of OCT images. The choice of these models was inspired by their ability to preserve the salient features across all the layers without information loss. To evaluate the attention of DL models on the choroid, we introduced color transparency maps (CTMs) based on GradCAM explanations. Further, we proposed two subjective grading scores: overall choroid coverage (OCC) and choroid coverage in the visible region(CCVR) based on CTMs to objectively correlate visual explanations vis-à-vis DL model attentions. We observed that the average accuracy and F-scores for the three DL models are greater than 96%. Further, the OCC and CCVR scores achieved for the three DL models under consideration substantiate that they mostly focus on the choroid layer in making the decision. In particular, of the three DL models, EfficientNet-B3 is in close agreement with the clinician's inference. The proposed DL-based framework demonstrated high detection accuracy as well as attention on the choroid layer, where EfficientNet-B3 reported superior performance. Our work assumes significance in bench-marking the automated choroid biomarker detection tools and facilitating high-throughput screening. Further, the methods proposed in this work can be adopted for evaluating the attention of DL-based approaches developed for other region-specific quality assessment tasks.

Anthocyanin: A Natural Dye Extracted from Hibiscus Sabdariffa (L.) for Textile and Dye Industries.

Environmental pollution is one of the major issues facing all countries throughout the world. Environmental degradation is occurring and creating crises in day-to-day life due to the increasing amount of chemicals used in industries, where even the effluents processed out after treatment also contain some trace elements. Hence the extraction of enzymes using natural methods is an alternative for the production of dye in order to reduce pollution, which in turn helps to nourish and protect the environment for future generations. Hibiscus sabdariffa (L.) is a rich source of anthocyanins that is further enhanced by callus formation and accumulated by increasing the sucrose concentration. Anthocyanin pigments were extracted using acidified ethanol. The dye obtained was screened by GC-MS analysis and its dyeing process used in the textile industry. The study showed certain properties affected the coloring nature depending on the cloth used. The color of anthocyanin pigment depends on the pH maintained and also shows adaptability to varied environmental conditions.

Volumetric quantification of choroid and Haller's sublayer using OCT scans: An accurate and unified approach based on stratified smoothing.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The choroid, a dense vascular structure in the posterior segment of the eye, maintains the health of the retina by supplying oxygen and nutrients, and assumes clinical significance in screening ocular diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). As a technological assist, algorithmic estimation of choroidal biomarkers has been suggested based on sectional (B-scan) optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. However, most such 2D estimation techniques are compute-intensive, yet enjoy limited accuracy and have only been validated on OCT image datasets of healthy eyes. Not surprisingly, fine-scale analyses, including those involving Haller's sublayer, remain relatively rare and unsophisticated. Against this backdrop, we propose an efficient algorithm to quantify desired biomarkers with improved accuracy based on volume OCT scans. Specifically, we attempted an accurate, computationally light volumetric segmentation method involving stratified smoothing to detect choroid and Haller's sublayer. METHODS: For detecting the various boundaries of the choroid and the Haller's sublayer, we propose a common volumetric method that performs suitable exponential enhancement and maintains smooth spatial continuity across 2D B-scans. Further, we achieve suitable volumetric smoothing by primarily deploying light-duty linear regression, and sparingly using compute-intensive tensor voting, and hence significantly reduce overall complexity. The proposed methodology is tested on five health and five diseased OCT volumes considering various metrics including volumetric Dice coefficient and corresponding quotient measures to facilitate comparison vis-à-vis intra-observer repeatability. RESULTS: On five healthy and five diseased OCT volumes, respectively, the proposed method for choroid segmentation recorded volumetric Dice coefficients of 93.53 % and 93.30 %, which closely approximate the respective reference observer repeatability values of 95.60 % and 95.49 %. In terms of related quotient measures, our method achieved more than 50 % improvement over a recently reported method. In detecting Haller's sublayer as well, our algorithm records statistical performance closely matching that of reference manual method. CONCLUSION: Advancing the state-of-the-art, the proposed volumetric segmentation, tested on both healthy and diseased datasets, demonstrated close match with the manual reference. Our method assumes significance in accurate screening of chorioretinal diseases including AMD, CSCR and pachychoroid. Further, it enables generating accurate training data for developing deep learning models for improved detection of choroid and Haller's sublayer.

Physical characterization and kinetic studies of Zn (II) biosorption by Morganella morganii ACZ05.

Through this investigation, we establish the mechanism and physical characterization of zinc (II) sequestration by Morganella morganii ACZ05 strain, which was isolated and characterized from soil polluted by effluents from electroplating industries. As far as we know, there is very little literature concerning zinc biosorption using an environmental strain of M. morganii. The SEM analysis shows the dark porous gaps in the aggregated cell-matrix of test bacterial biomass which is inferred as water channels usually seen in biofilms, as compared to metal-unexposed control. M. morganii is not known to produce biofilms unless in the rare nosocomial conditions. Here, SEM analysis shows the production of biofilms after exposure to zinc (II) at 500 ppm, which has not been previously reported. EDX analysis of bacterial biomass also specified the sorption of zinc (II) by the bacterial cells and the presence of new peaks for zinc in contrast to control. Both XRD and FTIR analysis observations strongly implicate the potential of physical adsorption as a mechanism for heavy metal resistance. Analysis of the cell surface by Atomic force microscopy and examination of the topography revealed cell aggregation occurs during biofilm production after zinc biosorption. Unlike other reports, regular models such as Langmuir isotherm and Freundlich isotherm were found insufficient to explain the physisorption of zinc (II) metal ions on complex multicomponent adsorbents such as the exopolymeric surface of the bacterial cells. However, adsorption kinetics of zinc (II) to the bacterial biomass was most effectively elucidated by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting a certain kind of chemisorption that requires further study.

Genetic structure and connectivity among Aedes aegypti populations within Madurai city in Southern India.

We investigated the genetic variability and differentiation among 12 Ae. aegypti populations collected within the Madurai city in Tamil Nadu state of Southern India. Genotyping of 12 microsatellite markers in 353 individual samples showed moderate levels of genetic diversity among 12 populations. UPGMA tree, hierarchical clustering, Bayesian clustering and Discriminant Analysis on Principal Components roughly divided these populations into two genetic clusters: main city populations and the populations located at the border of the corporation limit. Significant positive correlation between genetic and geographic distance was observed among 12 populations, however, the correlation was non-significant within each genetic cluster. Population assignment and divMigrate graph depicted less migration between two groups. Overall, the findings of this study provided an overview of Ae. aegypti population structure within an urban setting in India that have implications in effective implementation of vector control in the city area.

Effective anti-cancer property of Pouteria sapota leaf on breast cancer cell lines.

Natural products are vital in drug discovery and the search for anticancer agents has been significant importance to the researchers for a long time. In the present study, aqueous leaf extract of Pouteria sapota (P.sapota) was evaluated for its cytotoxic activity. The leaf extract was preliminarily screened for antioxidant activity using DPPH method for Radical Scavenging Activity, Hydrogen Peroxide Scavenging Activity and Reducing Power Activity. Further, the aqueous leaf extract was screened for cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) in vitro. The results of the study showed that aqueous extract of the P.sapota leaf was rich in phytochemicals, antioxidant activity and showed a significant anti-cancer activity against tested MCF-7 cell lines. The present study was designed to evaluate the anticancer potential of P.sapota leaf. The antioxidants present in P.sapota have strong cytotoxic activity suggests that it can be considered for anti-cancer treatment.

Hyperferritinemia and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in the cord blood of HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) infants.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate markers of iron status and inflammation/oxidative stress in maternal and cord blood (CB) of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women as potential mechanisms for poor outcomes among HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) infants. METHODS: Maternal venous blood and CB specimens were obtained from 87 pregnant women (45 HIV-infected and 42 HIV-uninfected) enrolled at Kalafong Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa. Iron status [serum iron, ferritin and transferrin concentrations, transferrin saturation, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) concentration and the sTfR/log ferritin (sTfR/F) index], antenatal exposure to inflammation (CB C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 concentrations and haptoglobin switch-on status) and oxidative stress [total radical trapping ability of CB plasma (TRAP) and chronic oxidative stress (soluble receptor of advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) concentration] were assessed in laboratory studies. RESULTS: There were no differences between the HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected groups in maternal haematological and iron indices, except that HIV-infected mothers had decreased white blood cell counts (P = 0.048) and increased serum ferritin concentrations (P = 0.032). Ferritin levels were significantly higher in CB than in maternal blood (P < 0.001) in both groups and further elevated in the CB of HEU infants (P = 0.044). There was also an inverse relationship between CB sTfR/F index and sRAGE (r = -0.43; P = 0.003) in the HIV-infected but not in the HIV-uninfected group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed for the first time that ferritin was significantly elevated in CB of HEU infants. The inverse relationship between sTfR/F index and sRAGE in CB suggests that chronic oxidative stress or RAGE axis activation in HIV-infected mothers may play a role in modulating ferritin levels.

Influence of fermented tannery solid waste on morphological, biochemical, yield and nutritional responses of tomato plants.

The non-tanned proteinaceous tannery solid waste animal fleshing (ANFL), containing high nutritive value, was hydrolyzed using bacteria Selenomonas ruminantium HM000123 through submerged (SmF) and solid-state (SSF) fermentation processes. In addition, the effects of ANFL fermentative hydrolysate on growth, yield and biochemical properties of tomato plants were investigated. The treatments included T1 (SmF-ANFL), T2 (SSF-ANFL), T3 (recommended dose of NPK fertilizers) and a control without any amendment. Hydrolysates of both SmF-ANFL and SSF-ANFL treatments increased the biomass and yield as evidenced by plant height, stem girth, number of leaves and fruit yield when compared with both NPK and control plants. In this 90-day study, significant (p ≤ 0.05) changes were observed in SSF-ANFL treated plants compared to the other treatments. Protein profile analyzed through SDS-PAGE indicates the expression of a high molecular weight protein (205 kDa) and other proteins in the leaves of the SSF-ANFL treated plants. Overall results revealed that SSF-ANFL can be successfully utilized as a fertilizer particularly for cultivating tomato plants.

Nutrient and enzymatic changes of hydrolysed tannery solid waste treated with epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae and phytotoxicity assessment on selected commercial crops.

Animal fleshing (ANFL) is the predominant proteinaceous solid waste generated during processing of leather and it is confronting disposal problems. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of epigeic earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae to utilize and transform the fermented ANFL in the solid state (SSF) and submerged state (SmF) into a value added product along a low residence period (25 days). A total of six treatment units containing different waste mixture compositions were established. Fifty healthy and non-clitellated earthworms were introduced in three different treatment containers: control, SSF, and SmF (+worm). Another set of treatment mixtures (control, SSF, SmF) was established without earthworms (-worm) to compare the results. The products were characterized for physico-chemical, enzymatic analysis and seedling growth parameters to compare the differences in the process with and without earthworms. The changes observed in the analytical parameters were in the following order: SSF > SmF > control mixtures (p < 0.05). The vermicompost showed a significant reduction in heavy metals, total organic carbon and an increase in total Kjeldhal nitrogen as compared to the product untreated by earthworms. The maximum enzymatic activities were observed after 21 days of vermicomposting. The relative seed germination of vermicompost extracts were in the order of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) > green gram (Vigna radiata) > cucumber (Cucumis sativus) > bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.) and showed no phytotoxicity effects. The results indicated that the combination of both ANFL hydrolysis through fermentation and vermicomposting is a good alternative to the management of this kind of waste.

Certain subclasses of analytic functions with complex order.

Two new subclasses of analytic functions of complex order are introduced. Apart from establishing coefficient bounds for these classes, we establish inclusion relationships involving (n-δ) neighborhoods of analytic functions with negative coefficients belonging to these subclasses.

Studies on the distribution of bacterial isolates in rare earth environment.

Rare earth soil is precious, but very common across Arabian coast especially in Chavara, (Quilon district, Kerala) south west coast of India. They are widely distributed but usually occur in small amounts and enhance the soil properties. In the present study, 18 different bacterial isolates were identified from three different samples such as soil and biofilm formed on metal surfaces from the rare earth environment of Chavara using 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The accumulation of rare earth elements (REE) by microbes was studied using FT-IR analysis. In the FTIR spectrum of the test system, a peak at 1548 and 1449 cm(-1) indicates the presence of aromatic nuclei (carboxylic acid), while C=C stretch for C-O-C group was noticed at 1237 cm(-1). Thus significant variations in the peak position confirm the presence of carboxyl group and thus it was confirmed that rare earth elements induce the bacteria to produce carboxylic acid and thereby accumulate rare earth elements.

Heavy metal assessment using geochemical and statistical tools in the surface sediments of Vembanad Lake, Southwest Coast of India.

The geochemical distribution and enrichment of ten heavy metals in the surface sediments of Vembanad Lake, southwest coast of India was evaluated. Sediment samples from 47 stations in the Lake were collected during dry and wet seasons in 2008 and examined for heavy metal content (Al, Fe, Mn, Cr, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cu, Co, Cd), organic carbon, and sediment texture. Statistically significant spatial variation was observed among all sediment variables, but negligible significant seasonal variation was observed. Correlation analysis showed that the metal content of sediments was mainly regulated by organic carbon, Fe oxy-hydroxides, and grain size. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the 14 sediment variables into three factors that reveal distinct origins or accumulation mechanisms controlling the chemical composition in the study area. Pollution intensity of the Vembanad Lake was measured using the enrichment factor and the pollution load index. Severe and moderately severe enrichment of Cd and Zn in the north estuary with minor enrichment of Pb and Cr were observed, which reflects the intensity of the anthropogenic inputs related to industrial discharge into this system. The results of pollution load index reveal that the sediment was heavily polluted in northern arm and moderately polluted in the extreme end and port region of the southern arm of the lake. A comparison with sediment quality guideline quotient was also made, indicating that there may be some ecotoxicological risk to benthic organisms in these sediments.

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in mullet (Mugil cephalus) and oyster (Crassostrea madrasensis) from Pulicat lake, south east coast of India.

The accumulation of six heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni) in sediment, water and in tissue parts of Mugil cephalus and Crassostrea madrasensis was studied in two locations of Pulicat lake, Southeast coast of India, which receives considerable quantity of effluents from industries located in North Chennai coastal region. The results reveal that the metal concentration in water is decreasing in the following order of Zn > Ni > Cu > Cr > Pb > Cd both in lake and barmouth and highest concentration was observed for Zn (32.5 µg L(-1) in lake and 25.2 µg L(-1) in bar mouth). Metals were highly concentrated in sediments when compared to water and biota. Metals abundance in sediments has following sequential order of Cr > Ni > Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd and the accumulation pattern in barmouth showed minor variation indicating the following pattern of Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Pb > Cd. The geoaccumulation index (I(geo)) for Pulicat lake sediments indicate that the sediments are extremely contaminated with Cd and moderately contaminated with Cu and Ni. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Mugil cephalus and Crassostrea madrasensis showed marked differences in the accumulation patterns. It is observed that Zn, Cu and Pb are accumulated in elevated concentrations in various parts of the fish and oyster when compared with other metals.

An automated or semi-automated identification system using venation pattern to delimit Indian leaf drugs: A proposal.

About 7,200 medicinal plants are known to occur in India, of which, the leaves of a few hundred plants have medicinal properties. Identification of leaf drugs using venation is considered as one of the most reliable and convenient methods. Leaf identification by mechanical means may often lead to wrong identification. Due to the growing volume of illegal trade/malpractice in the crude drug industry on the one hand and lack of sufficient experts on the other, a much faster, convenient and reliable method is mandatory for the identification of Indian leaf drugs. Therefore, a new automated or semi-automated identification system based on venation pattern is inevitable for the present day condition to identify and authenticate the leaves of Indian medicinal plants.

Is the term substitution relevant to Pharmacognosy and/ or vegetable crude drug industry?

Since each and every drug plant has its own characteristic features, in terms of its botanical characters, chemical composition and therapeutic properties, considering the highly potential drug plants as genuine plant and less potential (allied or non-allied) drug plants as substitutes is unjustifiable. Moreover, the term Substitution is being used for a couple of centuries in a wrong sense in pharmacognostic studies or in the vegetable crude drug industry. Therefore, the term 'Substitution' has to be replaced by the relevant and appropriate term, 'Alternative' or 'Alternative source'.

An unusual novel anti-oxidant dibenzoyl glycoside from Salvinia natans.

An unusual novel and significant anti-oxidant 1,2-dibenzoyl glycoside, natansnin (1), has been isolated from Salvinia natans. The structure of 1 was established by the study of NMR and CD spectral data.

Ultrasonic studies on lamivudine: beta-cyclodextrin and polymer inclusion complexes.

The aim of the present study is to enhance the solubility and stability of drugs in addition of water-soluble polymer and carbohydrate complexes. The data show that the polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) interacts with the free Lamivudine and with the Lamivudine; beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) inclusion complex, in both cases with particular intermolecular interaction was studied using ultrasonic technique under different concentrations at a temperature 303 K. Consequently, the reason of this study was to improve the biological performance of the drug through enhancing its solubility and stability. The binary and ternary mixtures prepared inclusion complexes of Lamivudine in beta-CD and PVA. The presence of PVA, changes the drug: beta-CD interaction, a Lamivudine: beta-CD: PVA complex was formed. In addition, the presence of PVA produces a strong increase in the binding constant at a particular concentration (1.25%). In the ternary complex, the Lamivudine is wrapped at both ends for the beta-CD. In this complex, the polymer seems to act as a bridge between both beta-CD molecules that bind the Lamivudine.

Phytochelatin systhesis and cadmium uptake of Brassica napus.

Soil contamination with cadmium (Cd) poses risk to human health. Metal hyperaccumulator plants play an important role in phytoextraction of heavy metals from such contaminated sites. Accumulation of Cd and its influence on the induction of phytochelatins in Brassica napus was investigated. Brassica napus plants were grown in nutrient culture with 1 and 5 microM Cd for 10 days. The biomass negatively correlates with Cd concentration in the nutrient solution and the reduction in dry weight was significantly higher for the root than the shoot. Cadmium accumulation positively correlates with the Cd concentration in the nutrient solution and the Cd accumulation in root is significantly higher than the shoot. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed the induction of PC2, PC3 and PC4 in response to Cd in B. napus and their concentrations vary with the Cd level in the external solution. In 1 microM Cd treated plants; PC2 was the dominant thiol fraction in the root, followed by PC3 and PC4, whereas in the shoot, PC3 is the dominant species followed by PC4 and PC2. In 5 microM Cd treated plants, the concentration of both PC3 and PC4 are higher than that of PC2 in the roots. In the shoot, the concentration of PC3 and PC4 was higher than the PC2 irrespective of the quantity of Cd uptake, implying that the detoxification of Cd involves higher molecular weight thiol complexes in the shoot. Considering the high aboveground biomass and Cd accumulation in the shoot, B. napus can be a potential candidate for the phytoextraction of Cd.

Phytoremediation and rehabilitation of municipal solid waste landfills and dumpsites: A brief review.

Environmental problems posed by municipal solid waste (MSW) are well documented. Scientifically designed landfills and/or open dumpsites are used to dispose MSW in many developed and developing countries. Non-availability of land and need to reuse the dumpsite space, especially in urban areas, call for rehabilitation of these facilities. A variety of options have been tried to achieve the goals of rehabilitation. In the last couple of decades, phytoremediation, collectively referring to all plant-based technologies using green plants to remediate and rehabilitate municipal solid waste landfills and dumpsites, has emerged as a potential candidate. Research and development activities relating to different aspects of phytoremediation are keeping the interest of scientists and engineers alive and enriching the literature. Being a subject of multi-disciplinary interest, findings of phytoremediation research has resulted in generation of enormous data and their publication in a variety of journals and books. Collating data from such diverse sources would help understand the dynamics and dimensions of landfill and dumpsite rehabilitation. This review is an attempt in this direction.