Comparison of 3D Easy Box cone-beam computed tomography analysis with 2D Modified Easy Box on OPG as a prognostic tool for impacted maxillary canines: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the validity of 2D modified Easy Box and measurement of the Beta angle on standard conventional orthopantomogram (OPG) versus 3D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) OPG-constructed view. DESIGN: A retrospective agreement study. METHODS: The aim of this study was to construct an Easy Box on a standard conventional OPG and to validate this novel method by comparing it with the Easy Box method on 3D CBCT. After approval from the Ethics Committee, OPG and CBCT radiographs were obtained for the study from departmental records and five private practices in the same location (Indore, India). The radiographs were selected based on record availability and with written consent from the participants before the commencement of the study. The records were analysed to enable a comparison and to assess the accuracy of Easy Box construction on both 3D CBCT and standard conventional OPG radiographs. The location of the impacted canine within the Easy Box boundaries and the measurement of the Beta angle were determined on both views. RESULTS: A perfect agreement was obtained for the comparison of 3D Easy Box CBCT analysis with 2D modified Easy Box on OPG for impacted maxillary canines (Kappa = 1.0). A Bland-Altman (LoA) analysis showed no proportional bias in the comparison of the Beta angle on 3D and 2D OPG radiographs. CONCLUSION: Beta angle and 2D modified Easy Box on a conventional OPG yield similar results when compared to Easy Box on 3D CBCT OPG-constructed view. The standard OPG was valuable and cost-effective, particularly in the early stages of diagnosis and treatment planning, either as a substitute or when CBCT was unavailable.

Nanofibrous composite from chitosan-casein polyelectrolyte complex for rapid hemostasis in rat models in vivo.

Bleeding causes ∼5.8 million deaths globally; half of the patients die if rapid hemostasis is not achieved. Here, we report a chitosan-casein (CC)-based nanofibrous polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) that could clot blood within 10 s in the rat femoral artery model in vivo. The nanofiber formation by self-assembly was also optimized for process parameters (concentration, mixing ratio, pH, and ultrasonication). Results showed that increasing the concentration of chitosan from 10 % to 90 % in the formulation increased the productivity (r = 0.99) of PECs but led to increased blood clotting time (r = 0.90) due to an increase in zeta potential (r = 0.98), fiber diameter (r = 0.93), and decreased surface porosity (r = -0.99), absorption capacity (r = -0.99). The pH also influenced the zeta potential of PEC, with an optimized pH of 8.0 ± 0.1 yielding clear nanofibers. Sonication improved the segregation of nanofibers by promoting water removal. The optimized PECs containing chitosan and casein in the ratio of 30:70 (CC30) at a pH of 8.0 and dehydration under sonication could clot the blood within 9 ± 2 s in vitro and 9 ± 2 s in rat femoral artery puncture model. The CC30 formulation did not cause any irritation or corrosion on rat skin. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry of various organs showed that CC30 was biocompatible and non-immunogenic under in vivo conditions.

Transdermal Patches for Pain Relief in Orthodontic Procedures: A Narrative Review.

Pain relief is an integral component of any orthodontic procedure given its high association with patient compliance and treatment adherence. A transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is a non-invasive method of drug delivery through the skin surface that can spread the medication throughout the dermis at a predetermined rate to produce a local or systemic effect. It might be used in place of hypodermic injections and the oral medication route. A transdermal analgesic, often known as a pain reliever patch, is an adhesive patch that contains medication to treat mild-to-severe pain. Many opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are currently available as patches. TDDS offers many benefits over the conventional medication delivery method. The non-invasive transdermal route or therapy has features such as excellent bioavailability, stable medication plasma concentration, and no first-pass metabolism effect. This review aims to explore the available evidence on the use of transdermal patches for pain relief in orthodontic procedures and possibly suggest recommendations based on the findings.

Identification and validation of putative biomarkers by in silico analysis, mRNA expression and oxidative stress indicators for negative energy balance in buffaloes during transition period.

OBJECTIVE: Transition period is considered from 3 weeks prepartum to 3 weeks postpartum, characterized with dramatic events (endocrine, metabolic, and physiological) leading to occurrence of production diseases (negative energy balance/ketosis, milk fever etc). The objectives of our study were to analyze the periodic concentration of serum beta-hydroxy butyric acid (BHBA), glucose and oxidative markers along with identification, and validation of the putative markers of negative energy balance in buffaloes using in-silico and quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. METHODS: Out of 20 potential markers of ketosis identified by in-silico analysis, two were selected and analyzed by qRT-PCR technique (upregulated; acetyl serotonin o-methyl transferase like and down regulated; guanylate cyclase activator 1B). Additional two sets of genes (carnitine palmotyl transferase A; upregulated and Insulin growth factor; downregulated) that have a role of hepatic fatty acid oxidation to maintain energy demands via gluconeogenesis were also validated. Extracted cDNA (complementary deoxyribonucleic acid) from the blood of the buffaloes were used for validation of selected genes via qRTPCR. Concentrations of BHBA, glucose and oxidative stress markers were identified with their respective optimized protocols. RESULTS: The analysis of qRT-PCR gave similar trends as shown by in-silico analysis throughout the transition period. Significant changes (p<0.05) in the levels of BHBA, glucose and oxidative stress markers throughout this period were observed. This study provides validation from in-silico and qRT-PCR assays for potential markers to be used for earliest diagnosis of negative energy balance in buffaloes. CONCLUSION: Apart from conventional diagnostic methods, this study improves the understanding of putative biomarkers at the molecular level which helps to unfold their role in normal immune function, fat synthesis/metabolism and oxidative stress pathways. Therefore, provides an opportunity to discover more accurate and sensitive diagnostic aids.

Hybrid Shear-thinning Hydrogel Integrating Hyaluronic Acid with ROS-Responsive Nanoparticles.

Nanoparticle (NP) supra-assembly offers unique opportunities to tune macroscopic hydrogels' mechanical strength, material degradation, and drug delivery properties. Here, synthetic, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive NPs are physically crosslinked with hyaluronic acid (HA) through guest-host chemistry to create shear-thinning NP/HA hydrogels. A library of triblock copolymers composed of poly(propylene sulfide)-bl-poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)-bl-poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-N-(1-adamantyl)acrylamide) are synthesized with varied triblock architectures and adamantane grafting densities and then self-assembled into NPs displaying adamantane on their corona. Self-assembled NPs are mixed with ß-cyclodextrin grafted HA to yield eighteen NP/HA hydrogel formulations. The NP/HA hydrogel platform demonstrates superior mechanical strength to HA-only hydrogels, susceptibility to oxidative/enzymatic degradation, and inherent cell-protective, antioxidant function. The performance of NP/HA hydrogels is shown to be affected by triblock architecture, guest/host grafting densities, and HA composition. In particular, the length of the hydrophilic second block and adamantane grafting density of self-assembled NPs significantly impacts hydrogel mechanical properties and shear-thinning behavior, while ROS-reactivity of poly(propylene sulfide) protects cells from cytotoxic ROS and reduces oxidative degradation of HA compared to HA-only hydrogels. This work provides insight into polymer structure-function considerations for designing hybrid NP/HA hydrogels and identifies antioxidant, shear-thinning hydrogels as promising injectable delivery platforms for small molecule drugs and therapeutic cells.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Spermatogenesis-Related CircRNAs and LncRNAs in Goat Spermatozoa.

Mammalian spermatozoa comprises both coding and non-coding RNAs, which are traditionally believed to be a residual of spermatogenesis. The differential expression level of spermatozoal RNAs is also observed between fertile and infertile human, thereby anticipated as potential molecular marker of male fertility. This study investigated the transcriptome profile of goat (Capra hircus) spermatozoa. The sperm transcriptome was analyzed by three different methods viz. RLM-RACE, long-read RNA sequencing (RNAseq) in Nanopore™ platform, and short-read RNAseq in Illumina™ platform. The Illumina™ sequencing discovered 16,604 transcripts with 357 mRNAs having FPKM (fragments per kilobase per million mapped reads) of more than five. The spermatozoal RNA suite included mRNA (94%), rRNA (3%), miscRNA (1%), circRNA (1%), miRNA (1%), etc. This study also predicted circRNAs (127), lncRNAs (655), and imprinted genes (160) that have potential role in male reproduction. The gene ontology analysis revealed the involvement of spermatozoal RNA in regulating male meiosis (TET3, STAT5B), capacitation (ACRBP, CATSPER4), sperm motility (GAS8, TEKT2), spermatogenesis (ADAMTS2, CREB3L4), etc. The spermatozoal RNA were also associated with different biological pathways viz. Wnt signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathways having potential role in spermatogenesis. Overall, this study enlightened the suite of spRNA transcripts in goat and their relevance in male fertility for diagnostic approach.

Pre-implantation development of cattle embryos produced from fresh bull semen enriched for X- chromosome-bearing spermatozoa using a monoclonal antibody.

Immunological approaches are gaining attention as a convenient and economical method for sex-sorting mammalian spermatozoa. A monoclonal antibody (WholeMom™) has previously been reported to cause agglutination of Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in frozen-thawed semen for gender preselection. However, its usefulness for gender preselection in fresh semen and subsequent in vitro fertilization (IVF) after freeze-thawing has not been reported. This study investigated the in vitro development of cattle embryos produced from fresh bull semen pre-treated with WholeMom™ monoclonal antibody. Results showed that antibody-treated, non-agglutinated spermatozoa (presumably X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa) could fertilize cattle oocytes in vitro. However, embryos generated from non-agglutinated (enriched in X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa) had a lower (p < 0.05) ability to cleave (66.4 ± 2.5% vs. 75.1 ± 3.3%) than those of non-treated control sperm. Nevertheless, the percentage of blastocysts developed from cleaved embryos did not differ (p > 0.05) between the groups (34.8 ± 3.7% vs. 35.8 ± 3.4%). Duplex PCR of blastocysts, using a bovine-specific universal primer pair and a Y-chromosome-specific primer pair, showed a sex ratio of 95.8% females from sex-sorted spermatozoa, which was higher than those of non-treated control spermatozoa (46.4%). In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that monoclonal antibody-based enrichment of X- chromosome-bearing spermatozoa can be applied to fresh bull semen without compromising their post-fertilization early embryonic development to the blastocyst stage. Future studies should investigate the term development and sex ratio of calves from antibody-treated spermatozoa.

Newly Developed Di-Block Copolymer-Based Cell Membrane Stabilizers Protect Mouse Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells against Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury.

Reperfusion after ischemia causes additional cellular damage, known as reperfusion injury, for which there is still no effective remedy. Poloxamer (P)188, a tri-block copolymer-based cell membrane stabilizer (CCMS), has been shown to provide protection against hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury in various models by reducing membrane leakage and apoptosis and improving mitochondrial function. Interestingly, substituting one of its hydrophilic poly-ethylene oxide (PEO) blocks with a (t)ert-butyl terminus added to the hydrophobic poly-propylene oxide (PPO) block yields a di-block compound (PEO-PPOt) that interacts better with the cell membrane lipid bi-layer and exhibits greater cellular protection than the gold standard tri-block P188 (PEO75-PPO30-PEO75). For this study, we custom-made three different new di-blocks (PEO113-PPO10t, PEO226-PPO18t and PEO113-PPO20t) to systemically examine the effects of the length of each polymer block on cellular protection in comparison to P188. Cellular protection was assessed by cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase release, and uptake of FM1-43 in mouse artery endothelial cells (ECs) following HR injury. We found that di-block CCMS were able to provide the same or better EC protection than P188. Our study provides the first direct evidence that custom-made di-block CCMS can be superior to P188 in improving EC membrane protection, raising their potential in treating cardiac reperfusion injury.

Preparation, characterization, and bioactivity of reinforced monetite with chitosan-gelatin electrospun composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

In this study, chitosan-gelatin-monetite (CGM)-based electrospun scaffolds have been developed that closely mimicked the microstructure and chemical composition of the extracellular matrix of natural bone. CGM-based nanofibrous composite scaffolds were prepared with the help of the electrospinning technique, post-cross-linked using ethyl(dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide solution to improve their stability in an aqueous environment. The prepared chitosan/gelatin (CG) scaffold showed an average fiber diameter of 308 ± 17 nm, whereas 5 and 7 wt% monetite containing CGM5and CGM7scaffolds, exhibited an average fiber diameter of 287 ± 13 and 265 ± 9 nm, respectively, revealing the fine distribution of monetite particles on the fibrous surface. The distribution of monetite nanoparticles onto the CG nanofibrous surface was confirmed using x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and EDAX. Moreover, the addition of 7 wt% monetite into the CG electrospun matrix increased their ultimate tensile strength from 7.62 ± 0.13 MPa in the CG scaffold to 14.34 ± 0.39 MPa in the CGM7scaffold. Simulated body fluid study and staining with alizarin red S (ARS) confirmed the higher mineralization ability of monetite-containing scaffolds compared to that revealed by the CG scaffold. The monetite incorporation into the CG matrix improved its osteogenic properties, including pre-osteoblast MG-63 cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation, when seeded with the cells. A higher degree of cellular adhesion, spreading, and migration was observed on the monetite-incorporated CG scaffold than that on the CG scaffold. From 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) MTT assay, alkaline phosphatase activity, ARS staining, and immunocytochemistry study, the cultured cells discovered a more conducive microenvironment to proliferate and subsequently differentiate into osteoblast lineage in contact with CGM7nanofibers rather than that in CGM0and CGM5.In-vitroresults indicated that electrospun CGM-based composite scaffolds could be used as a potential candidate to repair and regenerate new bone tissues.

Morphometric analysis of foramen ovale, foramen spinosum, and foramen rotundum of human skull using computed tomography scan: a cross-sectional study.

There is limited literature of objective assessments of foramina of skull base using computed tomography (CT) scan. This study was carried out to analyze the dimensions of foramen ovale (FO), foramen spinosum (FS), and foramen rotundum (FR) using CT scan imaging of the human skull and their associations with sex, age, and laterality of the body. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Nepal using a purposive sampling method. We included 96 adult patients (≥18 years) who underwent CT scan of the head for any clinical indications. All those participants below 18 years, inadequate visualization or erosions of skull base foramina, and/or not consenting were excluded. Appropriate statistical calculations were done using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 21. The P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean length, width, and area of FO was 7.79±1.10 mm, 3.68±0.64 mm, and 22.80±6.18 mm2, respectively. The mean length, width, and area of FS was 2.38±0.36 mm, 1.94±0.30 mm, and 3.69±0.95 mm2, respectively. Similarly, the mean height, width, and area of FR was 2.41±0.49 mm, 2.40±0.55 mm, and 4.58±1.49 mm2, respectively. The male participants had statistically significant higher mean dimensions of FO and FS (P<0.05) than the female participants. There were statistically insignificant correlations of dimensions of these foramina with age and between the left and right side of each foraminal dimensions (P>0.05). Conclusions: The sex-based difference in dimensions of FO and FS should be clinically considered in evaluating the pathology of these foramina. However, further studies using objective assessment of foraminal dimensions are required to draw obvious inferences.

Effect of arginine-induced motility and capacitation on RNA population in goat spermatozoa.

INTRODUCTION: In vitro capacitation is essential in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for embryo production. Recently, arginine has been proven to enhance capacitation in mammalian spermatozoa. However, the detailed mechanism of action of arginine remains elusive. AIM: This study investigated the effect of arginine-induced capacitation and motility enhancement on the spermatozoal RNA (spRNA) population in goats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Goat spermatozoa were treated with arginine for up to six hours and compared with non-treated or PHE (penicillamine, hypotaurine, and epinephrine)-treated spermatozoa at different intervals (0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours). Sperm parameters, including viability, individual motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction, and ROS production, were evaluated. The spRNA population was analyzed by short-read RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). RESULTS: The percentage of capacitated (73.21 ± 4.22%) and acrosome reacted (18.35 ± 0.56%) spermatozoa was highest in arginine treatment, while PHE treatment showed the highest percentage (79.82 ± 4.31%) of motile spermatozoa from 0 to 4 hours of incubation. RNA-seq analysis identified 1,321 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in arginine-treated spermatozoa compared to the control. The PGK2, RNASE10, ODF1, and ROPN1L genes involved in sperm motility and ACR, DKKL1, KCNJ11, and PRND genes involved in the capacitation process were upregulated in arginine-treated spermatozoa. The DEGs regulate sperm capacitation-related cAMP-PKA, PI3-Akt, calcium, and MAPK signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: The arginine-induced capacitation and enhanced sperm motility were associated with the upregulation of several genes involved in sperm motility and capacitation pathways. The comparative study also suggests that arginine may be used in lieu of PHE for motility enhancement and in vitro capacitation of goat spermatozoa.

Analyzing the effect of heparin on in vitro capacitation and spermatozoal RNA population in goats.

Heparin is a glycosaminoglycan polymer that is commonly used as an anticoagulant. Heparin also induces in vitro capacitation in spermatozoa, although its molecular mechanism is elusive. This study investigated the effect of heparin on in vitro capacitation and spermatozoal RNA (spRNA) population in goats. Goat spermatozoa were treated with 20 µM heparin for 0-6 h and evaluated for motility, capacitation, acrosome reaction, and spRNA population by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). It was observed that heparin enhanced sperm motility up to 6 h of incubation (p < 0.05). Heparin also induced capacitation and acrosome reaction within 4 h. RNA-seq identified 1254 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between heparin-treated and control spermatozoa. Most DEGs (1251 nos.) were upregulated and included 1090 protein-coding genes. A few genes (PRND, ITPR1, LLCFC1, and CHRM2) showed >5-fold increased expression in heparin-treated spermatozoa compared to the control. The upregulated genes were found to be involved in cAMP-PKA, PI3-Akt, calcium, MAPK signaling, and oxidative stress pathways. DCFDA staining confirmed the increased oxidative stress in heparin-treated spermatozoa compared to the control (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that heparin enhances sperm motility and induces capacitation by upregulation of the spRNA population and oxidative stress pathway.

A Rare Case of Bradycardia and Hypotension Following Administration of Ondansetron to a Patient During Spinal Fixation Surgery.

Ondansetron is commonly used during the peri-operative period for the prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). It is a 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist. Although relatively safe, few cases of ondansetron-induced bradycardia are described in the literature. Here, we present the case of a 41-year-old female with a burst fracture of the lumbar (L2) vertebrae following a fall from height. The patient underwent spinal fixation in the prone position. The intra-operative period was otherwise uneventful, except for an unprecedented incidence of bradycardia and hypotension following administration of intravenous (IV) ondansetron, at the time of closure of the surgical wound site. It was managed with IV atropine and fluid bolus. The patient was shifted to a intensive care unit (ICU) postoperatively. The postoperative period was uneventful, and the patient was discharged in good health on postoperative day three.

Physicochemical, mechanical, dielectric, and biological properties of sintered hydroxyapatite/barium titanate nanocomposites for bone regeneration.

Bone implants fabricated using nanocomposites containing hydroxyapatite (HA) and barium titanate (BT) show osteoconductive, osteoinductive, osteointegration, and piezoelectricity properties for bone regeneration applications. In our present study, HA and BT nanopowders were synthesized using high-energy ball-milling-assisted solid-state reaction with precursors of calcium carbonate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, and barium carbonate and titanium oxide powder mixtures, respectively. Hexagonal HA and tetragonal BT phases were formed after calcination at 700 and 1000 °C, respectively. Subsequently, hydroxyapatite/barium titanate (HA/BT) nanocomposites with different weight percentages of HA and BT were prepared by ball-milling, then compacted and sintered at two different temperatures to endow these bioceramics with better mechanical, dielectric, and biological properties for bone regeneration. Microstructure, crystal phases, and molecular structure characterizations of these sintered HA/BT nanocomposite compacts (SHBNCs) were performed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Bulk density was evaluated using the Archimedes method. HA/BT nanocomposites with increased BT content showed enhanced dielectric properties, and the dielectric constant (ϵr) value for 5HA/95BT was ∼182 at 100 Hz. Mechanical properties such as Vicker's hardness, fracture toughness, yield strength, and diametral tensile strength were also investigated. The hemolysis assay of SHBNCs exhibited hemocompatibility. The effect of these SHBNCs as implants on thein vitrocytocompatibility and cell viability of MG-63 osteoblast-like cells was assessed by MTT assay and live/dead staining, respectively. 15HA/85BT showed increased metabolic activity with a higher number of live cells than BT after the culture period. Overall, the SHBNCs can be used as orthopedic implants for bone regeneration applications.

Siamese-Based Architecture for Cross-Lingual Plagiarism Detection in English-Hindi Language Pairs.

The cross-lingual plagiarism detection (CLPD) is a challenging problem in natural language processing. Cross-lingual plagiarism is when a text is translated from any other language and used as it is without proper acknowledgment. Most of the existing methods provide good results for monolingual plagiarism detection, whereas the performances of existing methods for the CLPD are very limited. The reason for this is that it is difficult to represent the text from two different languages in a common semantic space. In this article, a novel Siamese architecture-based model is proposed to detect the cross-lingual plagiarism in English-Hindi language pairs. The proposed model combines the convolutional neural network (CNN) and bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) network to learn the semantic similarity among the cross-lingual sentences for the English-Hindi language pairs. In the proposed model, the CNN model learns the local context of words, whereas the Bi-LSTM model learns the global context of sentences in forward and backward directions. The performances of the proposed models are evaluated on the benchmark data set, that is, Microsoft paraphrase corpus, which is converted in the English-Hindi language pairs. The proposed model outperforms other models giving 67%, 72%, and 67% weighted average precision, recall, and F1-measure scores. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed models over the baseline models because the proposed model is very efficient in representing the cross-lingual text very efficiently.

Gelatin/monetite electrospun scaffolds to regenerate bone tissue: Fabrication, characterization, and in-vitro evaluation.

This work is dedicated to combining nanotechnology with bone tissue engineering to prepare and characterize electrospun gelatin/monetite nanofibrous scaffold with improved physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties. Nanofibrous scaffolds possessing fiber diameter in the range of 242-290 nm were prepared after incorporating varying content of monetite nanoparticles up to 7 wt % into the gelatin matrix using the electrospinning technique. Cross-linking of gelatin chains in the scaffold was performed using 0.25 wt% glutaraldehyde as indicated by imine (-CN-) bond formation in the FTIR analysis. With an increase in monetite addition up to 7 wt%, a decrease in swelling ratio and bio-degradability of cross-linked gelatin scaffolds was observed. Gelatin scaffold with 7 wt% monetite content registered the highest values of tensile strength and tensile modulus of 18.8 MPa and 170 MPa, as compared to 0% and 5 wt% monetite containing scaffolds respectively. Cell viability and differentiation were studied after culturing MG-63 cells onto the scaffolds from confocal microscopy of live and dead cells images, MTT assay, and alkaline phosphatase assay for a cell culture period of up to 21 days. It was observed that 7 wt % monetite containing gelatin scaffold exhibited better MG-63 cell adhesion, proliferation, higher biomineralization, and ALP activity compared to 0% and 5 wt% monetite containing electrospun scaffolds studied here.

Intraoperative Dental Injury in a Neurosurgical Patient: Concerns for the Anesthesiologist.

Anesthesia-related oropharyngeal injuries are known to occur. Risk factors for intraoperative dental injuries include difficult intubation, use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe, motor-evoked potential (MEP) monitoring, poor dental hygiene, etc. Our patient was a case of a thalamic cavernoma who underwent craniotomy in a sitting position with the neck flexed along with MEP and TEE monitoring. At the end of the surgery, the lower three incisors were found to be subluxated. The subluxated teeth were stabilized using a 2-0 Ethilon suture in the operation room. Immediate dental consultation was sought postoperatively. Sitting position surgeries with associated neck flexion, simultaneous, advanced monitoring techniques like TEE and MEP, poor dental condition, and the use of hard bite blocks can predispose patients to dental injury. Preoperative dental evaluation and explanation of neuromonitoring-associated injuries can be beneficial.

Nanoparticle-mediated transgene expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 in the growth restricted guinea pig placenta increases placenta nutrient transporter expression and fetal glucose concentrations.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) significantly contributes to neonatal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Currently, there are no effective treatment options for FGR during pregnancy. We have developed a nanoparticle gene therapy targeting the placenta to increase expression of human insulin-like growth factor 1 (hIGF1) to correct fetal growth trajectories. Using the maternal nutrient restriction guinea pig model of FGR, an ultrasound-guided, intraplacental injection of nonviral, polymer-based hIGF1 nanoparticle containing plasmid with the hIGF1 gene and placenta-specific Cyp19a1 promotor was administered at mid-pregnancy. Sustained hIGF1 expression was confirmed in the placenta 5 days after treatment. Whilst increased hIGF1 did not change fetal weight, circulating fetal glucose concentration were 33%-67% higher. This was associated with increased expression of glucose and amino acid transporters in the placenta. Additionally, hIGF1 nanoparticle treatment increased the fetal capillary volume density in the placenta, and reduced interhaemal distance between maternal and fetal circulation. Overall, our findings, that trophoblast-specific increased expression of hIGF1 results in changes to glucose transporter expression and increases fetal glucose concentrations within a short time period, highlights the translational potential this treatment could have in correcting impaired placental nutrient transport in human pregnancies complicated by FGR.

Prediction of potential molecular markers of bovine mastitis by meta-analysis of differentially expressed genes using combined p value and robust rank aggregation.

Bovine mastitis causes significant economic loss to the dairy industry by affecting milk quality and quantity. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are the two common mastitis-causing bacteria among the consortia of mastitis pathogens, wherein E. coli is an opportunistic environmental pathogen, and S. aureus is a contagious pathogen. This study was designed to predict molecular markers of bovine mastitis by meta-analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEG) in E. coli- or S. aureus-infected mammary epithelial cells (MECs) using p value combination and robust rank aggregation (RRA) methods. High-throughput transcriptome of bovine MECs, infected with E. coli or S. aureus, were analyzed, and correlation of z-scores were computed for the expression datasets to identify the lineage profile and functional ontology of DEGs. Key pathways enriched in infected MECs were deciphered by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), following which combined p value and RRA were used to perform DEG meta-analysis to limit type I error in the analysis. The miRNA-gene networks were then built to uncover potential molecular markers of mastitis. Lineage profiling of MECs showed that the gene expression levels were associated with mammary tissue lineage. The up-regulated genes were enriched in immune-related pathways, whereas down-regulated genes influenced the cellular processes. GSEA analysis of DEGs deciphered the involvement of Toll-like receptor (TLR), and NF-kappa B signaling pathway during infection. Comparison after meta-analysis yielded with genes ZC3H12A, RND1, and MAP3K8 having significant expression levels in both E. coli and S. aureus dataset, and on evaluating miRNA-gene network, 7 pairs were common to both sets identifying them as potential molecular markers.

Nanoceria laden decellularized extracellular matrix-based curcumin releasing nanoemulgel system for full-thickness wound healing.

Decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) has been widely used for wound healing. But, ECM failed to integrate tissue and restore the tissue function properly, when elevated levels of free radicals and biofilm formation occur at the wound site. Here, nanoemulgel systems were fabricated, considering the combinatorial approach of nanotechnology (nanoceria and curcumin nanoemulsion) and ECM gel of goat small intestine submucosa. The curcumin was encapsulated in the nanoemulgel system to enhance bioavailability in terms of antibacterial, antioxidant, sustained release and permeation at the wound site. Nanoceria was also incorporated to enhance the antibacterial, antioxidant and wound healing properties of the fabricated nanoemulgel formulation. All the formulations were porous, hydrophilic, biodegradable, antioxidant, antibacterial, hemocompatible, biocompatible, and showed enhanced wound healing rate. The formulation (DG-SIS/Ce/NC) showed the highest free radicals scavenging capacity and antibacterial property with prolonged curcumin release (62.9% in 96 h), skin permeability (79.7% in 96 h); showed better cell growth under normal and oxidative-stressed conditions: it also showed full-thickness wound contraction (97.33% in 14 days) with highest collagen synthesis at the wound site (1.61 µg/mg in 14 days). The outcomes of this study suggested that the formulation (DG-SIS/Ce/NC) can be a potential nanoemulgel system for full-thickness wound healing application.