Fixed-Dose Combination of Canagliflozin and Metformin as an Adjunct to Diet and Exercise in Indian Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results from a Multicentric, Open-Label, Single-Arm, Phase IV Study.

BACKGROUND: Canagliflozin and metformin fixed-dose combination (CANA/MET FDC), an approved treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in India, effectively lowers glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), promotes weight loss, and improves patient adherence. As a regulatory requirement, we aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CANA/MET FDC in Indian patients with T2DM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase IV study included Indian patients with T2DM (aged 18-65 years) inadequately controlled on diet and exercise. Patients received CANA/MET (50/500 and 50/1000 mg) immediate-release (IR) FDC twice daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was safety assessment, including adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs). The secondary endpoint included a change in HbA1c from baseline to weeks 12 and 24. Descriptive statistics were used for all continuous safety variables and efficacy parameters. RESULTS: Of the 310 patients screened, 276 were enrolled. 114/274 (41.6%) patients had ≥1 treatment-emergent AE [treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs), among which 29 (10.6%) were related to study intervention]. The most common TEAEs were dyslipidemia (4.7%), pyrexia (4.7%), genital infections (3.3%), hypoglycemia (3.3%), and urinary tract infections (2.6%). Three (1.1%) patients had serious TEAEs, and all cases were resolved. No deaths were reported. The mean change in HbA1c from baseline was -0.92 and -0.93% at weeks 12 and 24, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of CANA/MET FDC in Indian patients with T2DM, presenting a safe therapeutic option for diabetes management in India.

SGLT2 Inhibitors: Paradigm Shift from Diabetes Care to Metabolic Care-An Indian Perspective.

The prevalence and burden of diabetes are on the rise in India, making it 'the diabetes capital of the world'. Comorbidities such as obesity, cardiovascular (CV) complications, chronic kidney disease (CKD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and neurodegenerative diseases are common in patients with diabetes. Recent breakthroughs in diabetes medications and continuous glucose monitoring have resulted in a paradigm shift in diabetes care. Hence, a review in the Indian context is warranted. This review focuses on the existing evidence (gathered by a systematic literature search utilising online databases such as PubMed) on the metabolic, cardio-renoprotective, and hepatoprotective effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibition, particularly in the Indian setting. The study revealed that the SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), with their numerous pleiotropic benefits, have received considerable attention recently as a novel class of antihyperglycaemic agents (AHAs) for the management of diabetes. SGLT2i play a crucial role in the transition from glycaemic control to metabolic care, particularly in the context of obesity, CV disease and renal disease. In addition to improving glycaemic control, SGLT2i have been shown to promote weight loss, reduce blood pressure and improve lipid profiles, which are key components of metabolic health. Moreover, SGLT2i have demonstrated renal protective effects, including a reduction in albuminuria and a slower decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), suggesting a potential role in the management of renal dysfunction.

Optimizing the plasma oxidation of aluminum gate electrodes for ultrathin gate oxides in organic transistors.

A critical requirement for the application of organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) in mobile or wearable applications is low-voltage operation, which can be achieved by employing ultrathin, high-capacitance gate dielectrics. One option is a hybrid dielectric composed of a thin film of aluminum oxide and a molecular self-assembled monolayer in which the aluminum oxide is formed by exposure of the surface of the aluminum gate electrode to a radio-frequency-generated oxygen plasma. This work investigates how the properties of such dielectrics are affected by the plasma power and the duration of the plasma exposure. For various combinations of plasma power and duration, the thickness and the capacitance of the dielectrics, the leakage-current density through the dielectrics, and the current-voltage characteristics of organic TFTs in which these dielectrics serve as the gate insulator have been evaluated. The influence of the plasma parameters on the surface properties of the dielectrics, the thin-film morphology of the vacuum-deposited organic-semiconductor films, and the resulting TFT characteristics has also been investigated.

Extracting the shape of nanometric field emitters.

The high resolution nanoanalysis by atom probe tomography is based on needle-shaped samples that represent nanometric field emitters with typical curvature radii of 50 nm. After field desorption and detection of a large set of atoms, the sample volume has to be numerically reconstructed. Conventionally, this reconstruction is performed with the assumption of a hemispherical apex. This established practice can lead to serious distortions of the tomography. In this work, we demonstrate how the real shape of the emitter can be extracted from the event density on the 2D detector setup. Except for convexity, no other restriction is imposed on the shape. The required mathematics is derived and the method is demonstrated with numerically simulated and experimental data sets of complex tip shapes. The computational effort of the method is also suitable to handle data sets of a few hundred million atoms.

Achieving Ultralow Turn-On Voltages in Organic Thin-Film Transistors: Investigating Fluoroalkylphosphonic Acid Self-Assembled Monolayer Hybrid Dielectrics.

The properties of organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) and thus their ability to address specific circuit design requirements depend greatly on the choice of the materials, particularly the organic semiconductor and the gate dielectric. For a particular organic semiconductor, the TFT performance must be reviewed for different combinations of substrates, fabrication conditions, and the choice of the gate dielectric in order to achieve the optimum TFT and circuit characteristics. We have fabricated and characterized organic TFTs based on the small-molecule organic semiconductor 2,7-diphenyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene in combination with an ultrathin hybrid gate dielectric consisting of aluminum oxide and a self-assembled monolayer. Fluoroalkylphosphonic acids with chain lengths ranging from 6 to 14 carbon atoms have been used to form the self-assembled monolayer in the gate dielectric, and their influence on the TFT characteristics has been studied. By optimizing the fabrication conditions, a turn-on voltage of 0 V with an on/off current ratio above 106 has been achieved, in combination with charge-carrier mobilities up to 0.4 cm2/V s on flexible plastic substrates and 1 cm2/V s on silicon substrates.

Few-Layer WSe2 Schottky Junction-Based Photovoltaic Devices through Site-Selective Dual Doping.

Ultrathin sheets of two-dimensional (2D) materials like transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted strong attention as components of high-performance light-harvesting devices. Here, we report the implementation of Schottky junction-based photovoltaic devices through site-selective surface doping of few-layer WSe2 in lateral contact configuration. Specifically, whereas the drain region is covered by a strong molecular p-type dopant (NDP-9) to achieve an Ohmic contact, the source region is coated with an Al2O3 layer, which causes local n-type doping and correspondingly an increase of the Schottky barrier at the contact. By scanning photocurrent microscopy using green laser light, it could be confirmed that photocurent generation is restricted to the region around the source contact. The local photoinduced charge separation is associated with a photoresponsivity of up to 20 mA W-1 and an external quantum efficiency of up to 1.3%. The demonstrated device concept should be easily transferrable to other van der Waals 2D materials.

Primary oral myiasis: a case report.

Myiasis is the infestation of live human and vertebrate animal with dipterous larvae which feed on the host's dead or living tissue. A case of oral myiasis in the maxillary anterior region in a 42-year-old female with neurologic deficit caused by the larvae (maggots) of Musca Nebulo (Family Diptera) is reported. The treatment consisted of manual removal of the larvae by topical application of turpentine oil, oral therapy with ivermectin and surgical debridement of the oral wound.

Primary oral myiasis: A case report

Myiasis is the infestation of live human and vertebrate animal with dipterous larvae which feed on the host’s dead or livingtissue. A case of oral myiasis in the maxillary anterior region in a 42-year-old female with neurologic deficit caused by thelarvae (maggots) of Musca Nebulo (Family Diptera) is reported. The treatment consisted of manual removal of the larvaeby topical application of turpentine oil, oral therapy with ivermectin and surgical debridement of the oral wound (AU)