Zn-MOF@rGO nanocomposite: a versatile tool for highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions in water.

In this work, a hybrid nanocomposite material (PUC2@rGO) was prepared by integrating our previously developed Zn-MOF (PUC2) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through the wet impregnation method. The characterization of PUC2@rGO was performed using various analytical techniques, including FTIR, PXRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, zeta potential, and time-resolved FL spectroscopy. Our investigation primarily focused on assessing the composite's capability to detect water pollutants. Notably, PUC2@rGO demonstrated remarkable selectivity and sensitivity towards Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions via fluorescence quenching, exhibiting low detection limits and high quenching constant values. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that electron transfer from PUC2@rGO (donor) to the metal ions (acceptor) resulted in the observed quenching effect induced by Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions. Time-resolved fluorescence studies of PUC2@rGO before and after adding Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions confirmed dynamic quenching, further affirming strong interactions between PUC2@rGO and the targeted metal ions. These findings highlight PUC2@rGO's potential for efficiently detecting heavy metal pollutants in water.

Characterization of Clinical Presentation, Etiology, and Antibiotic Sensitivity Patterns in Neonatal Septicemia: A Comprehensive Analysis of Bacterial Isolates.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal septicemia remains a significant healthcare challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings, with both early-onset neonatal septicemia (EONS) and late-onset neonatal septicemia (LONS) presentations contributing to morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to characterize the clinico-etiological profile and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of neonatal septicemia in a tertiary care setting in north India. METHODOLOGY: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2021 to February 2022, encompassing neonates admitted to the Department of Pediatrics with suspected neonatal septicemia, confirmed by positive blood cultures. RESULTS: A total of 96 neonates were included, predominantly male (71.9%). Gram-negative bacteria constituted 61.6% of isolates, and the most common organism isolated was non-lactose fermenter group (38.4%) followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (33.4%). Non-lactose fermenter group bacteria were prominent in EONS cases (44.6%), while CoNS predominated in LONS cases (51.6%). Birthplace, birth weight, and perinatal score were significantly associated with both EONS and LONS. Linezolid exhibited high efficacy against gram-positive bacteria, while ciprofloxacin and meropenem demonstrated effectiveness against various gram-negative pathogens. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains exhibited resistance to all the antibiotics used in the study except for linezolid. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the importance of tailored empirical therapy guided by local epidemiological data to optimize clinical outcomes and mitigate antimicrobial resistance.

Epidemiologic correlates of malnutrition among under-three children in the rural community of Northern India.

Context: Worldwide malnutrition is identified as a major health and nutrition problem. Undernutrition contributes to an estimated 45% of child deaths globally. The prevalence of underweight among children in India is among the highest in the world. Our children also bear a tremendous double burden of malnutrition. Aims: To find out the prevalence and determinants of malnutrition among six months to three-year-old children in the rural community of Northern India. Settings and Design: A community-based cross-sectional study conducted among children aged six months to three years in a rural area of Ludhiana district, Methods and Material: A total of 662 children in the age group of six months to three years from a population of 30,000 were identified and included in the study. All the relevant information regarding these children was collected from family folders. Socioeconomic status was assessed using the modified Udai Pareek scale (MUP). Statistical analysis used: The data collected was entered in MS Excel and was analyzed using SPSS version 26 and WHO Anthro Survey Analyzer. Results: Out of 662 children, 16% were underweight. Almost 50% of the children in the two-three years category were underweight. The prevalence of stunting in the study population was 20.7% and that of overweight was 4.8%. The prevalence of underweight was higher in children of low socioeconomic status than in children from upper socioeconomic status (P = 0.000). There was a significant association between birth order and increasing cases of underweight (P = 0.000). Conclusions: The causes of malnutrition in children are complex and involve multiple factors. There is a need for vigorous monitoring for early detection of malnutrition for children aged two-three years. The improvement of maternal education will improve the nutritional status of the child.

Preserving plum perfection: Buckwheat starch edible coating with xanthan gum and lemongrass essential oil.

The research focused on the fabrication of composite coatings using buckwheat starch (BS) and xanthan gum (XG) with incorporation of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil (LEO) with varying concentration (0.75 %, 1.0 % and 1.25 % (w/v). BS was extracted from buckwheat groats (Fagopyrum esculentum) and its physico-chemical characteristics were determined. BS showed spherical and polygonal morphology and its XRD pattern was similar to starch extracted from other cereal sources. The amount of reducing sugar, starch and amylose content in extracted BS were 0.99 ± 0.33 %, 86.32 ± 0.22 % and 21.02 ± 1.89 % respectively, which indicates that BS is a suitable base material for the formation of edible coatings. XG was mixed with BS in different ratios (1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1) to optimize the best ratio of combination for composite coatings. The coating with a ratio of 2:1 was very smooth and was chosen for incorporation of LEO and the coatings physical, functional, mechanical, thermal and micro-structural characteristics were examined. The coating S5 with 1.25 % (w/v) concentration of LEO showed the best results with least moisture content (MC), minimum water vapor permeability (WVP) and maximum contact angle value. Moreover, the S5 formulation had the highest antioxidant (73.3 %) ability and maximum antimicrobial efficiency with inhibition zones of 22.09 ± 0.06 mm and 28.65 ± 0.14 mm against S. aureus and E. coli respectively. The coatings were then coated on plum fruit, and various parameters like weight loss, pH, shrinkage and TSS were calculated every 4th day during the 20 days of refrigeration period. The coated plums' ripening pace was delayed by the S5 formulation which improved moisture retention, maintained the plums' TSS value and overall pH. Therefore, composite coatings made up of BS, XG and 1.25 % (w/v) can be used as a cost-effective bio-active coating material for plum preservation under refrigeration conditions.

Mechanistic Insights into Cellular and Molecular Targets of Zinc Oxide Quantum Dots (ZnO QDs) in Fungal Pathogen, Candida albicans: One Drug Multi-Targeted Therapeutic Approach.

Rationally designed multitargeted drugs, known as network therapeutics/multimodal drugs, have emerged as versatile therapeutic solutions to combat drug-resistant microbes. Here, we report novel mechanistic insights into cellular and molecular targets of ZnO quantum dots (QDs) against Candida albicans, a representative of fungal pathogens. Stable, monodispersed 4-6 nm ZnO QDs were synthesized using a wet chemical route, which exhibited dose-dependent inhibition on the growth dynamics of Candida. Treatment with 200 µg/mL ZnO QDs revealed an aberrant morphology and a disrupted cellular ultrastructure in electron microscopy and led to a 23% reduction in ergosterol content and a 53% increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species. Significant increase in steady-state fluorescence polarization and fluorescence lifetime decay of membrane probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) in treated cells, respectively, implied reduction in membrane fluidity and enhanced microviscosity. The observed reduction in passive diffusion of fluorescent Rhodamine 6G across the membrane validated the intricate relationship between ergosterol, membrane fluidity, and microviscosity. An inverse relationship existing between ergosterol biosynthetic genes, ERG11 and ERG3 in treated cells, related well with displayed higher susceptibilities. Furthermore, treated cells exhibited impaired functionality and downregulation of ABC drug efflux pumps. Multiple cellular targets of ZnO QDs in Candida were validated by in silico molecular docking. Thus, targeting ERG11, ERG3, and ABC drug efflux pumps might emerge as a versatile, nano-ZnO-based strategy in fungal therapeutics to address the challenges of drug resistance.

Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection Among the General Community, Frontline Workers, and Healthcare Workers During the Second and Third Wave in North India: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination is among the most important public health tools for preventing the harm caused by communicable diseases. This was particularly true in the case of COVID-19 vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no vaccine is 100% effective, and all carry the risk of breakthrough infection in vaccinated individuals. METHODOLOGY: This longitudinal observational study was done on COVID-19-vaccinated individuals at a vaccination site in a tertiary care hospital. The study participants were categorized into the general community, frontline workers, and healthcare workers and were followed up during the study period from June 2021 to May 2022 post-vaccination. They were interviewed by telephone regarding adverse effects and breakthrough infections post-vaccination during the second and third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Incidence of breakthrough infection was calculated in all three categories after they received their first, second, and booster doses of vaccination. RESULTS: Fever was the most common adverse effect among all the categories of participants after the first and second doses. Incidence of breakthrough infection after the second dose of vaccination among frontline workers (RR: 5.7, 95% CI: 0.7-44.2) and healthcare workers (RR: 18.9, 95% CI: 2.6-138.6) was observed to be higher compared to the general community, but no such difference was observed among the three categories after the first dose of vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of breakthrough infection was found to be the highest in healthcare workers, followed by frontline workers compared to the general community, justifying their work profile and the risk associated with it.

Botanicals as promising antimicrobial agents for enhancing oral health: a comprehensive review.

The mouth houses the second largest diversity of microorganisms in the body, harboring more than 700 bacterial species colonizing the soft mucosa and hard tooth surfaces. Microbes are the cause of several health-related problems, such as dental carries, gingivitis, periodontitis, etc., in the mouth across different age groups and socioeconomic/demographic groups. Oral infections are major health problems that affect the standard of living. Compromised oral health is related to chronic conditions and systemic disorders. Microbes responsible for dental caries are acid-producing and aciduric Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococci, Lactobacilli). Gram-negative bacteria (Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Actinobacillus, and Fusobacterium) capable of growing in anaerobic environments are responsible for periodontal diseases. Due to the high prevalence of oral diseases, negative effects associated with the use of antimicrobial agents and increased antibiotic resistance in oral pathogens, suitable alternative methods (effective, economical and safe) to suppress microbes disturbing oral health need to be adopted. Side effects associated with the chemical antimicrobial agents are vomiting, diarrhea and tooth staining. Several researchers have studied the antimicrobial properties of plant extracts and phytochemicals and have used them as indigenous practices to control several infections. Therefore, phytochemicals extracted from plants can be suitable alternatives. This review focuses on the various phytochemical/plant extracts suppressing the growth of oral pathogens either by preventing their attachment to the surfaces or by preventing biofilm formation or other mechanisms.

Noninvasive Blood Pressure Monitoring via a Flexible and Wearable Piezoresistive Sensor.

In the present global context, continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring is paramount in addressing the global mortality rates attributed to hypertension. Achieving precise insights into the human cardiovascular system necessitates accurate measurement of BP, and the accuracy depends on the faithful recording of oscillations or pulsations. This task ultimately depends on the caliber of the pressure sensor embedded in the BP device. In this context, we have fabricated a flexible resistive pressure sensor based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge that is highly flexible and sensitive. The designed device operates effectively with a minimal bias voltage of 500 mV, at which point it showed its maximum relative change in current, reaching approximately 25%. Additionally, the sensing device showed a notable change in resistance values, exhibiting almost 100% change in resistance when subjected to a pressure of 400 mmHg and high sensitivity of 0.27 mmHg-1. After promising outcomes were obtained during static pressure measurement, the sensor was used for BP monitoring in humans. The sensor accurately traced the oscillometric waveform (OMW) for distinct systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) combinations to cover a range of medical situations, including hypotension, standard or normal, and hypertension. The values of SBP, DBP, and MAP were derived from the sensor's output using the MAA technique, and the errors in these values concerning the simulator and the traditional BP monitor follow the universal AAMI/ESH/ISO protocols. Bland-Altman (B&A) correlation and scatter plots were used to compare the sensor's results and further validate the proposed sensor. The sensor showed the mean and standard deviation error in the SBP, DBP, and MBP of -0.2 ± 5.9, -0.5 ± 7, and -0.9 ± 4.7 mmHg when compared with the noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) simulator. The pulse rate (PR) was also calculated from the same OMW for the specified value of 80 beats per minute (bpm) given by the simulator and reported a mean PR value of ∼81 bpm, close to the reference value. The findings show that the flexible resistive sensing device can accurately measure BP and replace the existing sensors of BP devices.

An Industry Perspective on the use of Forced Degradation Studies to Assess Comparability of Biopharmaceuticals.

Forced degradation, also known as stress testing, is used throughout pharmaceutical development for many purposes including assessing the comparability of biopharmaceutical products according to ICH Guideline Q5E. These formal comparability studies, the results of which are submitted to health authorities, investigate potential impacts of manufacturing process changes on the quality, safety, and efficacy of the drug. Despite the wide use of forced degradation in comparability assessments, detailed guidance on the design and interpretation of such studies is scarce. The BioPhorum Development Group is an industry-wide consortium enabling networking and sharing of common practices for the development of biopharmaceuticals. The BioPhorum Development Group Forced Degradation Workstream recently conducted several group discussions and a benchmarking survey to understand current industry approaches for the use of forced degradation studies to assess comparability of protein-based biopharmaceuticals. The results provide insight into the design of forced degradation studies, analytical characterization and testing strategies, data evaluation criteria, as well as some considerations and differences for non-platform modalities (e.g., non-traditional mAbs). This article presents survey responses from several global companies of various sizes and provides an industry perspective and experience regarding the practicalities of using forced degradation to assess comparability.

An Investigation into the Surface Integrity of Micro-Machined High-Speed Steel and Tungsten Carbide Cutting Tools.

The performance and lifespan of cutting tools are significantly influenced by their surface quality. The present report highlights recent advances in enhancing the surface characteristics of tungsten carbide and high-speed steel cutting tools using a novel micro-machining technique for polishing and edge-honing. Notably, the main aim was to reduce the surface roughness while maintaining the hardness of the materials at an optimal level. By conducting a thorough analysis of surfaces obtained using different techniques, it was found that the micro-machining method effectively decreased the surface roughness of the cutting tools the most effectively out of the techniques investigated. Significantly, the surface roughness was reduced from an initial measurement of 400 nm to an impressive value of 60 nm. No significant change in hardness was observed, which guarantees the maintenance of the mechanical properties of the cutting tools. This analysis enhances the comprehension of surface enhancement methodologies for cutting tools through the presentation of these findings. The observed decrease in surface roughness, along with the consistent hardness, exhibits potential for improving tool performance. These enhancements possess the capacity to optimise manufacturing processes, increase tool reliability, and minimise waste generation.

Development of sustainable downstream processing for nutritional oil production.

Nutritional oils (mainly omega-3 fatty acids) are receiving increased attention as critical supplementary compounds for the improvement and maintenance of human health and wellbeing. However, the predominant sources of these oils have historically shown numerous limitations relating to desirability and sustainability; hence the crucial focus is now on developing smarter, greener, and more environmentally favourable alternatives. This study was undertaken to consider and assess the numerous prevailing and emerging techniques implicated across the stages of fatty acid downstream processing. A structured and critical comparison of the major classes of disruption methodology (physical, chemical, thermal, and biological) is presented, with discussion and consideration of the viability of new extraction techniques. Owing to a greater desire for sustainable industrial practices, and a desperate need to make nutritional oils more available; great emphasis has been placed on the discovery and adoption of highly sought-after 'green' alternatives, which demonstrate improved efficiency and reduced toxicity compared to conventional practices. Based on these findings, this review also advocates new forays into application of novel nanomaterials in fatty acid separation to improve the sustainability of nutritional oil downstream processing. In summary, this review provides a detailed overview of the current and developing landscape of nutritional oil; and concludes that adoption and refinement of these sustainable alternatives could promptly allow for development of a more complete 'green' process for nutritional oil extraction; allowing us to better meet worldwide needs without costing the environment.

High-Temperature Dielectric Relaxation and Electric Conduction Mechanisms in a LaCoO3-Modified Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 System.

This research study examines the high-temperature dielectric relaxation and electric conduction mechanisms in (x)LaCoO3-(1 - x)Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 samples, where x is 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15. The findings demonstrate that all the samples exhibit two dielectric transitions: first, a frequency-dispersive shoulder at a lower temperature (Ts) around 425-450 K, which is associated with polar nanoregions (PNRs), and second, from ferroelectric to paraelectric transition at the Curie temperature (Tc) approximately between 580 and 650 K. The impedance analysis reveals the negative temperature coefficient of resistance behavior of the specimens. The broad and asymmetric relaxation peaks obtained from modulus spectroscopy demonstrate a wide range of relaxations, suggesting non-Debye-type behavior. Furthermore, the conductivity studies provide insights into understanding the transport phenomena in the samples. The oxygen vacancies resulting from the addition of LaCoO3 into the Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramics are responsible for the relaxation and conduction processes, and the charge carrier is doubly ionized oxygen ion vacancies. All samples except for LCNBT10 at 1 kHz exhibit a negative magnetodielectric response.

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) as an emerging source of protein and bioactive peptides: A narrative review.

Tea residues represent one of the major agricultural wastes that are generated after the processing of tea. They account for 21-28% of crude protein and are often discarded without the extraction of valuable proteins. Due to various bioactivity and functional properties, tea proteins are an excellent alternative to other plant-based proteins for usage as food supplements at a higher dosage. Moreover, their good gelation capacity is ideal for the manufacturing of dairy products, jellies, condensation protein, gelatin gel, bread, etc. The current study is the first to comprehend various tea protein extraction methods and their amino acid profile. The preparation of tea protein bioactive peptides and hydrolysates are summarized. Several functional properties (solubility, foaming capacity, emulsification, water/oil absorption capacity) and bioactivities (antioxidant, antihypertensive, antidiabetic) of tea proteins are emphasized.

Assessment of health status and its correlation with lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a study from a tertiary care center in north India.

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2023 recommends a comprehensive multidimensional assessment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and stresses the need for evaluation of their health status and quality of life (QOL). The COPD assessment test (CAT), clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ), and St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) are recommended by GOLD for such assessments. However, their correlation with spirometry in the Indian population is not known. Other similar questionnaires like the COPD and sleep impact scale (CASIS), functional performance inventory-short form (FPI-SF), and COPD and asthma fatigue scale (CAFS), though used internationally as a research tool, are still in the offspring stage and have never been used in India. A cross-sectional study was hence conducted in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab, India, on 100 COPD patients. Patients were assessed for health status and QOL by CAT, CCQ, SGRQ, CASIS, FPI-SF, and CAFS. The relationship between these questionnaires and airflow limitations was investigated. The majority of the patients were males (n=97), >50 years of age (n=83), illiterate (n=72), had moderate/severe COPD, and belonged to group B (n=66). The mean value of forced expiratory volume in one second (FeV1) decreased with a deterioration in CAT and CCQ score grouping (p<0.001). Patients with poorer CAT and CCQ scores belonged to higher GOLD grades (k=0.33, p<0.001). The correlation of health-related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaires among each other, with FEV1 predicted and with GOLD grade, was strong to very strong in most of the comparisons (p<0.01 in the majority). On comparison of GOLD grade with mean scores of HRQL questionnaires, it was seen that with the increase in GOLD grading from 1 to 4, the mean values of CAT, CCQ, SGRQ, CASIS, FPI-SF, and CAFS also deteriorated (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.005, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Various easy-to-use HRQL scores should be routinely used in outpatient departments for a comprehensive assessment of COPD patients. These questionnaires, in combination with clinical features, can help in providing a rough estimate of the severity of the disease in places where lung function assessments are not readily available.

Factors affecting the distribution of serum anti-müllerian hormone levels among infertile Asian women: a multi-nation, multi-centre, and multi-ethnicity prospective cohort study.

STUDY QUESTION: How do age, ethnicity, and other characteristics affect serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in Asian women undergoing fertility treatment? SUMMARY ANSWER: Age, ethnicity, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) significantly impacted serum AMH levels, with the rate of decrease accelerating as age increased; a concentration of 4.0 ng/ml was the optimal cut-off for diagnosis of PCOS. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: There are significant differences in ovarian reserve among women from different races and ethnicities, and Asian women often have poorer reproductive outcomes during assisted reproductive treatment cycles. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A population-based multi-nation, multi-centre, multi-ethnicity prospective cohort study of 4613 women was conducted from January 2020 to May 2021. Infertile women of 20-43 years of age were enrolled. The exclusion criteria included: age <20 or >43, non-Asian ethnicity, and missing critical data. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Participants were Asian women of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, and Indonesian ethnicities from 12 IVF centres across Asia. These women were all naïve to ovarian stimulation cycles and attended IVF centres for fertility assessment. The AMH measurement was performed using an AMH automated assay on a clinically validated platform. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 4556 infertile Asian women were included in the final analyses. The mean ± SD for serum AMH concentrations (ng/ml) across specific age groups were: overall, 3.44 ± 2.93; age <30, 4.58 ± 3.16; 30-31, 4.23 ± 3.23; 32-33, 3.90 ± 3.06; 34-35, 3.21 ± 2.65; 36-37, 2.74 ± 2.44; 38-39, 2.30 ± 1.91; 40 and above, 1.67 ± 2.00. The rate of AMH decrease was ∼0.13 ng/ml/year in patients aged 25-33 and 0.31 ng/ml/year in women aged 33-43. The highest rates of PCOS were found in Indians (18.6%), Malays (18.9%), and Vietnamese (17.7%). Age (P < 0.001), ethnicity (P < 0.001), obesity (P = 0.007), PCOS (P < 0.001), and a history of endometrioma cystectomy (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with serum AMH values. Smoking status, pretreatment with GnRH agonist (GnRHa) or the oral contraceptive pill (OCP), freezing-thawing of blood samples, and sampling on Day 2 to Day 5 of the menstrual cycle or randomly did not appear to affect serum AMH levels. An AMH concentration of 4.0 ng/ml was the optimal cut-off for PCOS diagnosis with a sensitivity of 71.7% and specificity of 75.8% (AUC = 0.81, CI 95%: 0.79-0.83; P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The incidence of PCOS was supposedly high in this cohort as some IVF clinics were tertiary referral centres for managing specific fertility issues encountered by women with PCOS. Treatment with GnRHa or OCP before AMH testing was regionally and ethnically confined, mostly in Hong Kong SAR and Japan. Moreover, this reference for serum AMH value is limited to Asian women of the ethnicities examined and may not apply to other ethnicities not included in the study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This is the first study to collate and construct age-specific reference ranges for serum AMH levels using the same bioassay on Asian women of different ethnicities. The findings of this investigation can assist clinicians to counsel and prognosticate about Asian women's ovarian reserve and reproductive potential, thus providing better strategies for personalized fertility interventions. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was technically supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and received no specific grant from any funding agency. All authors have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04203355.

Study to evaluate the relation between weight gain in infants and occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of childhood blindness. Capturing serial daily postnatal weight gain can act as an innovative, low-cost method of risk stratification. We aim to study the relation between weight gain in infants and occurrence of ROP. Methods: The prospective, observational study was conducted on 62 infants. ROP screening was done based on the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) criteria. Infants were classified into no ROP (n = 28), mild ROP (n = 8), and treatable ROP (n = 26) groups. Average daily postnatal weight gain was measured and its relation to development of ROP was studied. All statistical calculations were done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 21 version (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) statistical program for Microsoft Windows. Results: Mean rate of weight gain in no ROP group, mild ROP group, and treatable ROP group was 33.12, 27.19, and 15.31 g/day, respectively (P = 0.001). Mean gestational age and birth weight in treatable group (n = 26) were 31.38 weeks and 1572.31 g, respectively. Receiver operating curve analysis revealed a cutoff of 29.33 g/day for ROP and 21.91 g/day for severe ROP. Conclusion: We concluded that, babies with poor weight gain of below 29.33 g/day are at high risk for ROP and babies with wight gain of 21.91 g/day are at high risk for severe ROP. These babies should be followed meticulously. So, the rate of weight gain of a preterm can help us to prioritize babies.

Electron-phonon coupling in La3In under pressure.

Conventional superconducting parameters Eliashberg spectral function, phonon DOS, average electron-phonon coupling constant & superconducting transition temperature of La3In were calculated at ambient and applied positive hydrostatic pressure. Ambient pressure electron-phonon coupling constant was found to be 1.43 and superconducting transition temperature was calculated to be 8.7 K which is close to the experimental reported value of 9.5 K. Logarithmic average phonon frequency at ambient pressure was found to be 6.21 × 10-3eV. Phonon dispersion relations for the ambient and applied positive hydrostatic pressure were calculated to confirm the dynamical stability of La3In under positive pressure. Acoustic modes of vibrations were found to mediate most of the electron-phonon-electron interaction with a very small contribution from optical modes of vibrations. Fermi surface at ambient pressure was also calculated and employed in explaining the large value of the calculated electron-phonon coupling constant. The effect of spin-orbit coupling on electronic, phonon and superconducting properties of La3In was also studied.

Engineering Nutritionally Improved Edible Plant Oils.

In contrast to traditional breeding, which relies on the identification of mutants, metabolic engineering provides a new platform to modify the oil composition in oil crops for improved nutrition. By altering endogenous genes involved in the biosynthesis pathways, it is possible to modify edible plant oils to increase the content of desired components or reduce the content of undesirable components. However, introduction of novel nutritional components such as omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids needs transgenic expression of novel genes in crops. Despite formidable challenges, significant progress in engineering nutritionally improved edible plant oils has recently been achieved, with some commercial products now on the market.

Clinically Deployable Bioelectronic Sensing Platform for Ultrasensitive Detection of Transferrin in Serum Sample.

Varying levels of transferrin (Tf) have been associated with different disease conditions and are known to play a crucial role in various malignancies. Regular monitoring of the variations in Tf levels can be useful for managing related diseases, especially for the prognosis of certain cancers. We fabricated an immunosensor based on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to indirectly detect Tf levels in cancer patients. The GO nanosheets were deposited onto an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate and annealed at 120 °C to obtain reduced GO (rGO) films, followed by the immobilization of an antibody, anti-Tf. The materials and sensor probe used were systematically characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were also used for the stepwise sensor probe characterizations and Tf detection in serum samples, respectively. The anti-Tf/rGO/ITO immunosensor DPV output demonstrated an excellent Tf detection capability in the linear range of 0.1 mg mL-1 to 12 mg mL-1 compared to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection range, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.010 ± 0.007 mg mL-1. Furthermore, the results of the fabricated immunosensor were compared with those of the ELISA and autobioanalyzer techniques, showing an outstanding match with < 5% error and demonstrating the immunosensor's clinical potential.