Clinico-Etiopathogenesis of Vitamin B12, Folic Acid and Iron Deficiency in Severe Acute Malnutrition Children: A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience from Central India.

In severe acute malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency as well as protein energy malnutrition is a major obstacle to growth & development. Iron deficiency dominates the spectrum of nutritional anemia. After taking informed consent, 211 SAM children and 211 age-and sex-matched healthy children with normal nutritional status were enrolled for the study. MUAC was used to diagnose SAM. A 5-part automated hematoanalyzer was used to measure the complete blood count and red cell indices, and the peripheral smear method to determine the red cell morphology. We measured serum ferritin, Vitamin B12, and folic acid using the ELISA method. Compared to controls, children with SAM had significantly lower red cell indices, platelet counts, and white cell counts. The most common clinical symptoms seen in SAM children were diarrhea, pneumonia, acute gastroenteritis, and acute respiratory infection. Children with SAM are more likely to suffer from iron deficiency and B12 deficiency. Severe vitamin B12 deficiency was more frequently associated with severe anemia. The severe anemia in SAM children constantly changes the body's defense mechanism, affecting the haematopoiesis. In this study, haematological indices are recommended for predicting severity of anemia, and hematopoietic changes are described, in order to improve anticipatory care and outcome in children with SAM.

Use of FLOSIC for understanding anion-solvent interactions.

An Achille's heel of lower-rung density-functional approximations is that the highest-occupied-molecular-orbital energy levels of anions, known to be stable or metastable in nature, are often found to be positive in the worst case or above the lowest-unoccupied-molecular-orbital levels on neighboring complexes that are not expected to accept charge. A trianionic example, [Cr(C2O4)3]3-, is of interest for constraining models linking Cr isotope ratios in rock samples to oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere over geological timescales. Here we describe how crowd sourcing can be used to carry out self-consistent Fermi-Löwdin-Orbital-Self-Interaction corrected calculations (FLOSIC) on this trianion in solution. The calculations give a physically correct description of the electronic structure of the trianion and water. In contrast, uncorrected local density approximation (LDA) calculations result in approximately half of the anion charge being transferred to the water bath due to the effects of self-interaction error. Use of group-theory and the intrinsic sparsity of the theory enables calculations roughly 125 times faster than our initial implementation in the large N limit reached here. By integrating charge density densities and Coulomb potentials over regions of space and analyzing core-level shifts of the Cr and O atoms as a function of position and functional, we unambiguously show that FLOSIC, relative to LDA, reverses incorrect solute-solvent charge transfer in the trianion-water complex. In comparison to other functionals investigated herein, including Hartree-Fock and the local density approximation, the FLOSIC Cr 1s eigenvalues provide the best agreement with experimental core ionization energies.

Calculation of Self, Corrected, and Transport Diffusivities of Isopropyl Alcohol in UiO-66.

The UiO-6x family of metal-organic frameworks has been extensively studied for applications in chemical warfare agent (CWA) capture and destruction. An understanding of intrinsic transport phenomena, such as diffusion, is key to understanding experimental results and designing effective materials for CWA capture. However, the relatively large size of CWAs and their simulants makes diffusion in the small-pored pristine UiO-66 very slow and hence impractical to study directly with direct molecular simulations because of the time scales required. We used isopropanol (IPA) as a surrogate for CWAs to investigate the fundamental diffusion mechanisms of a polar molecule within pristine UiO-66. IPA can form hydrogen bonds with the µ3-OH groups bound to the metal oxide clusters in UiO-66, similar to some CWAs, and can be studied by direct molecular dynamics simulations. We report self, corrected, and transport diffusivities of IPA in pristine UiO-66 as a function of loading. Our calculations highlight the importance of the accurate modeling of the hydrogen bonding interactions on diffusivities, with about an order of magnitude decrease in diffusion coefficients when the hydrogen bonding between IPA and the µ3-OH groups is included. We found that a fraction of the IPA molecules have very low mobility during the course of a simulation, while a small fraction are highly mobile, exhibiting mean square displacements far greater than the ensemble average.

How Do Self-Interaction Errors Associated with Stretched Bonds Affect Barrier Height Predictions?

Density functional theory (DFT) suffers from self-interaction errors (SIEs) that generally result in the underestimation of chemical reaction barrier heights. This is commonly attributed to the tendency of density functional approximations to overstabilize delocalized densities that typically occur in the stretched bonds of transition state structures. The Perdew-Zunger self-interaction correction (PZSIC) and locally scaled self-interaction correction (LSIC) improve the prediction of barrier heights of chemical reactions, with LSIC giving better accuracy than PZSIC on average. These methods employ an orbital-by-orbital correction scheme to remove the one-electron SIE. In the context of barrier heights, this allows an analysis of how the self-interaction correction (SIC) for each orbital contributes to the calculated barriers using Fermi-Löwdin orbitals (FLOs). We hypothesize that the SIC contribution to the reaction barrier comes mainly from a limited number of orbitals that are directly involved in bond-breaking and bond-making in the reaction transition state. We call these participant orbitals (POs), in contrast to spectator orbitals (SOs) which are not directly involved in changes to the bonding. Our hypothesis is that ΔETotalSIC ≈ ΔEPOSIC, where ΔETotalSIC is the difference in the SIC corrections for the reactants or products and the transition state. We test this hypothesis for the reaction barriers of the BH76 benchmark set of reactions. We find that the stretched-bond orbitals indeed make the largest individual SIC contributions to the barriers. These contributions increase the barrier heights relative to LSDA, which underpredicts the barrier. However, the full stretched-bond hypothesis does not hold in all cases for either PZSIC or LSIC. There are many cases where the total SIC contribution from the SOs is significant and cannot be ignored. The size of the SIC contribution to the barrier height is a key indicator. A large SIC correction is correlated to a large LSDA error in the barrier, showing that PZSIC properly gives larger corrections when corrections are needed most. A comparison of the performance of PZSIC and LSIC shows that the two methods have similar accuracy for reactions with large LSDA errors, but LSIC is clearly better for reactions with small errors. We trace this to an improved description of reaction energies in LSIC.

Refeeding Syndrome in Haemodialysis Patients.

Nutritional therapies have shown to be efficacious and efficient, despite the overall low level of evidence. It however hides the risk of refeeding syndrome in catabolic malnourished patients. Refeeding syndrome is the metabolic response due to the switch from a starvation to a fed state in the initial phase of nutritional therapy in patients who were severely malnourished or metabolically stressed due to severe illness. Here we describe two cases of chronic kidney disease patients on maintenance haemodialysis, who developed refeeding syndrome. Both the patients had tuberculosis and were severely malnourished with subjective global Assessment (SGA) of grade C. Timely diagnosis and proper management leads to good outcome.

Epidemiological Characteristics of the COVID-19 Pandemic During the First and Second Waves in Chhattisgarh, Central India: A Comparative Analysis.

Background There is a scarcity of reports of comparative analysis between the first and second waves of the pandemic from any part of India. This article aims to comprehensively investigate the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the course of the pandemic in the state of Chhattisgarh, central India. Methodology A comparative epidemiological analysis of the first and second waves of COVID-19 across Chhattisgarh was conducted on the vital parameters of total tests performed, cases diagnosed, age and gender distribution, case fatality ratio (CFR), and mitigation strategy reported by the state and central government health agencies using the data from Indian Council of Medical Research and National Informatics Centre portals. Results The second wave was shorter than the first wave but the absolute number of cases increased by 2.4 times and deaths by 2.7 times. There was a significant increase in cases per million, deaths per million, and test positivity rate. The hospitalization rate and test per case ratio dropped in the second wave from 33 to 20 and from 12.6 to 7.2, respectively. Both infection and deaths were higher among males in both the waves (p < 0.001). CFR increased from 1.2% in the first wave to 1.4% in the second wave (p < 0.001; odds ratio = 1.14 (1.1-1.19)). Increased mortality was seen in all ages except the young (≤20 years) and the old (>60 years). Conclusions The significantly high number of cases and deaths during the second wave provides evidence to undertake preparedness measures for mitigating any future waves. Regular surveillance, monitoring, and analysis of epidemiological data are pertinent for continued situational awareness.

Petrographic and Geochemical Controls on Methane Genesis, Pore Fractal Attributes, and Sorption of Lower Gondwana Coal of Jharia Basin, India.

The Barakar coal seams of Jharia Basin have been evaluated for the geochemical and petrographic control of coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir characteristics. The coal core samples are analyzed for the total gas content, gas chromatography, stable isotopes (δ13C1), and geochemical, petrographic and vitrinite reflectance. The significant face (1.6-7.6%) and butt (0.9-5.3%) cleat intensities specify the brittle characteristics of coal seams and also favor the gas flow mechanism. The thermal cracking position of hydrocarbon compounds was evaluated, which signifies the excellent source rock potential of coal for gas genesis. The inputs of type III and IV organic matter illustrated by the van Krevelan diagram signify thermally matured coal seams. The low values of sorption time (τ) between 2.1 and 5.6 days designate excellent diffusion characteristics that is favored by the cleat intensities. The values of total gas content and sorption capacity (V L) reveal that moderate saturation indicates a higher gas content, attributed to the seam thickness and thermal maturity. Similarly, the CH4 concentrations (89.4-96.6 vol %) display that the genesis pattern is a function of thermal maturity; however, some samples fall under the mixed type substantiated by the stable isotope (δ13C1) (-25.40 to -64.90‰), emphasizing bacterial hold by seasonal influx of freshwater. The ternary facies diagram (Vmmf, Immf, Lmmf) also supports notable generation of methane gas and storage in the coal seams of the Jharia Basin. The volume percentage of each maceral determined from petrographic study was used to estimate the fraction of conversion (f) of the organic content (0.19-0.97). The values of "f" indicate that the Barakar coal has undergone maximum conversion, which may be attributed to the older early Permian coal and placed at a greater depth after deposition due to the basin sink. The high fraction of conversion and thermal maturity may also be explained due to the existence of volcanic intrusion (sills and dykes). The uniformity in the distribution of functional groups is shown by Fourier transform infrared spectra representing moderate to stronger peaks of aromatic carbon (CO and C=C) between 1750 and 1450 cm-1, which indicates that the presence of a larger total organic carbon content likely validates the removal of aliphatic compounds during gas genesis. The variations in the BET curve have been categorized as H1 hysteresis following the type II adsorption pattern, suggesting that cylindrical pores and some of the coal samples have a type IV H4 hysteresis pattern, characterized as the slit type of pores. The average values of the pore diameter indicate the dominance of mesopores suitable for gas storage and release and hence a major part of the pore volume is contributed by the mesopores having a width mainly between 2.98 and 4.48 nm. The significant role of the meso-macropore network (D 1 fractals) in methane storage of the coal matrix is represented by a moderate positive relationship of V L with D 1, which accentuated that meso-macropores developed due to devolatilization and dehydration of organic matter and also by geochemical alteration of macerals and minerals formed heterogenetic inner surfaces suitable for gas adsorption. The estimated recoverable resource applying Mavor Pratt methods is 8.78 BCM, which is found to be a more realistic resource value for the studied CBM block.

Identifying UiO-67 Metal-Organic Framework Defects and Binding Sites through Ammonia Adsorption.

Ammonia is a widely used toxic industrial chemical that can cause severe respiratory ailments. Therefore, understanding and developing materials for its efficient capture and controlled release is necessary. One such class of materials is 3D porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with exceptional surface areas and robust structures, ideal for gas storage/transport applications. Herein, interactions between ammonia and UiO-67-X (X: H, NH2 , CH3 ) zirconium MOFs were studied under cryogenic, ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions using temperature-programmed desorption mass spectrometry (TPD-MS) and in-situ temperature-programmed infrared (TP-IR) spectroscopy. Ammonia was observed to interact with µ3 -OH groups present on the secondary building unit of UiO-67-X MOFs via hydrogen bonding. TP-IR studies revealed that under cryogenic UHV conditions, UiO-67-X MOFs are stable towards ammonia sorption. Interestingly, an increase in the intensity of the C-H stretching mode of the MOF linkers was detected upon ammonia exposure, attributed to NH-π interactions with linkers. These same binding interactions were observed in grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. Based on TPD-MS, binding strength of ammonia to three MOFs was determined to be approximately 60 kJ mol-1 , suggesting physisorption of ammonia to UiO-67-X. In addition, missing linker defect sites, consisting of H2 O coordinated to Zr4+ sites, were detected through the formation of nNH3 ⋅H2 O clusters, characterized through in-situ IR spectroscopy. Structures consistent with these assignments were identified through density functional theory calculations. Tracking these bands through adsorption on thermally activated MOFs gave insight into the dehydroxylation process of UiO-67 MOFs. This highlights an advantage of using NH3 for the structural analysis of MOFs and developing an understanding of interactions between ammonia and UiO-67-X zirconium MOFs, while also providing directions for the development of stable materials for efficient toxic gas sorption.

A correlational study between perceived parenting style, psychological well-being, and emotional intelligence among adolescents.

BACKGROUND: In many reviews, it is found that parental responsiveness, parental emotion-related coaching, and parental positive demandingness are related to children's higher emotional intelligence (EI), while parental negative demandingness is related to children's lower EI. There is a lack of Indian work in this area. AIM: To study the role of EI and parenting style in predicting psychological well-being among adolescents in an Indian scenario. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out on 75 boys and 75 girls in the age range of 15-18 years and attending school. They were assessed with the sociodemographic data sheet, trait EI questionnaire, psychological well-being inventory, and parental authority questionnaire. After the administration on different scales, the scoring was done and data were analyzed with SPSS. RESULTS: There were no gender differences in the scores of EI, psychological well-being, and self-reported parenting style scores. There was a significant positive co-relation between well being and authoritative, authoritarian and autonomy, positive relationship. and self acceptance. Authoritarian parenting style is highly correlated with EI in comparison to authoritative and permissive parenting styles. CONCLUSION: Authoritarian parenting style is most suitable for the development of EI and on the other hand, permissive parenting style has the least role in the development of EI. EI and parenting style are found to predict the psychological well-being in adolescents.

Sociodemographic and clinical profile of cannabis-induced psychosis: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most widely used drug in the world. An association between cannabis use and mental illness, in particular psychotic illness, was recognized since long. Various cultures have traditionally used cannabis for different purposes, and continuous increasing use of cannabis is promoting psychosis also. AIM: The present study has tried to identify the differences in profile between the two groups and thus proposing possible variables underlying cannabis and psychosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive hospital-based study included 50 consecutive cannabis-using patients with psychosis and equal number of age-matched patients with schizophrenia but no cannabis intake. Permission was taken from the institutional ethics committee. All subjects gave written informed consent. Detailed history regarding psychotic symptoms and different parameters of cannabis use were collected from the key informant as well as the patients in the ward. Both the groups' psychotic symptoms were assessed using scale for assessment of the positive symptoms. RESULTS: There is no significant difference between both the groups with respect to age. Cannabis-using patients with psychosis showed high symptomatology in the areas of pressure of speech, distractible speech, and clanging. On the other hand, patients with schizophrenia but no cannabis intake showed high symptomatology in the areas of derailment, incoherence, illogicality, and global rating of positive formal thought disorder. CONCLUSION: Continuous heavy use of cannabis can induce a psychotic disorder distinct from acute schizophrenia. Cannabis-induced psychosis has distinct demographic, premorbid, and clinical features.

Variation in Pore Structure and Associated Fractal Dimensions of Barakar and Barren Measures Carbon-Rich Gas Shales of Jharia Basin, India.

The carbon-rich Barakar and Barren Measures shale beds of the Jharia basin were evaluated for variation in pore size, pore structure, and fractal dimensions. The shale core samples were obtained from exploratory boreholes drilled at the Jharia basin. The shale samples were analyzed for organo-inorganic composition by FTIR, pore size, and pore structure using BET low-pressure N2 adsorption and pore geometry through FE-SEM photographs. The shale samples have significant carbon-rich content and are intercalated-banded in nature. The pore structures were evaluated through N2 isotherms and validated by SEM images, revealing the mixed contribution of organo-inorganic matter in pore formations controlled by geochemical alteration, diagenesis, and mineral interaction. The rough internal surfaces of the pore were evaluated by categorizing them into fractals D 1, D 2, and D 3. It is observed that the D 2 type of fractals is in abundance associated with mesopores. The positive trend of fractals with pore size, pore structure, depth, fixed carbon, and TOC suggests the influence of different parameters on the formation of pore internal rugged surfaces in shale beds. The FE-SEM images indicate shallow to deep pores with different pore structures with fair to good pore connectivity. In summary, the shale beds of Jharia have heterogeneous complex pore structures, a rough surface, and sorption mechanisms controlled by weathering/alteration, depositional conditions, and organo-inorganic content. In shale beds, gas storage and transport phenomena are directly related to pore size distribution, pore structure, and associated fractal dimensions. The calculated values using the proposed empirical models for porosity (EPOf) and permeability (EPEf) showed excellent linear correlation with the measured porosity (MPOc, R 2 = 0.8577) and permeability (MPEc, R 2 = 0.8577), which are close to measured values. The curve matching of EPOf with MPOc and EPEf with MPEc follows a similar path, validating the results and suitability of the models. Hence, the proposed models may be considered to estimate the porosity and permeability of shale and coal beds.

Organo-Lithotype Controls on Cleat/Fractures, Matrix-Associated Pores, and Physicomechanical Properties of Coal Seams of Raniganj Coalfield, India.

The organo-lithotype properties of Barakar and Raniganj Formation coal seams have been investigated to assess the process of cleat origin, occurrence, and their influence on strength properties. Coal cleats have wide applications in coalbed methane gas recovery, underground mine strata mechanics, beneficiation, and pulverization. However, there is very limited information available on the cleat occurrence and controlling parameters of Indian coals. In this view, a total of 31 coal samples were retrieved from eight exploratory boreholes intersecting coal-bearing formations like Barakar and Raniganj in the Raniganj Coalfield. We identified four distinct lithotypes in coal seams: (i) B, bright coal; (ii) Db, dull banded coal; (iii) Bb, bright banded coal; and (iv) Bd, banded coal. The abundance of bright-band-associated lithotype indicates organic matter that attained the early anoxic conditions after deposition. The cleat system in Barakar coal is comparatively better than in Raniganj coal controlled by the lithotype, type of organic matter, thermal maturity, and gelification extent. The carbon enrichment process in coal mainly controls the megascopic cleat genesis pattern. The positive trend of cleat intensities with the depth of coal seams as determined by megascopic, microscopic, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies postulates that the macro- to nanocleats are interdependent and developed during devolatilization due to loss of plasticity. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) photographs have shown intricate microfractures and pore structures owing to the epigenetic characteristics. Vitrinite bands indicate that it comprises the partially deformed planer cleat system. The resistance to quartz weathering nature attributed to coal brittleness properties also contributed to cleat genesis. The total clay content exhibits an inverse relationship with different cleat intensities, suggesting that hydrous clay swells due to its inherent ultrafine characteristics, thus not supporting the cleat construction. However, it ropes the development of the irregular crack when organo-inorganic matter achieves the dry thermal conditions. The microfractures linked with different pore structures in studied coals can be classified into seven types: (i) vitrite-associated regular open-slit pores, (ii) vitriinertite-char allied irregular pores, (iii) irregular fracture-pore partially filled with clay, (iv) fissile pores along bedding planes of clay, (v) organic pores evolved due to external heat received from intrusives, (vi) deep organic pores evolved during compaction and thermal transformation, and (vii) pore fractures blocked by boghead algae. The clay content showed a positive relationship with physicomechanical properties, signifying the cementing characteristics of clay holding fractures and pores. There is significant variation in the strength properties of Barakar and Marren measures coal influenced by thermal maturity, lithotype characteristics, and organo-inorganic content.

In Situ Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Investigation of Molecular Adsorption and Kinetics in Metal-Organic Framework UiO-66.

Thermodynamic and kinetic properties of molecular adsorption and transport in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crucially important for many applications, including gas adsorption, filtration, and remediation of harmful chemicals. Using the in situ 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) isotherm technique, we measured macroscopic thermodynamic and kinetic properties such as isotherms and rates of mass transfer while simultaneously obtaining microscopic information revealed by adsorbed molecules via NMR. Upon investigating isopropyl alcohol adsorption in MOF UiO-66 by in situ NMR, we obtained separate isotherms for molecules adsorbed at distinct environments exhibiting distinct NMR characteristics. A mechanistic view of the adsorption process is obtained by correlating such resolved isotherms with the cage structure effect on the nucleus-independent chemical shift, molecular dynamics such as the crowding effect at high loading levels, and the loading level dependence of the mass transfer rate as measured by NMR and elucidated by classical Monte Carlo simulations.

Efficacy and durability of cognitive behavior therapy in managing hallucination in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) approach to psychosis is a relatively recent development and focuses directly on the core psychotic symptoms of hallucinations and delusions. AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy in managing hallucination in patients with schizophrenia and to evaluate the generalizability and durability of the therapeutic gains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this confirmatory pre-post assessment study, based on the purposive sampling technique, a sample consisting of 40 (20 for experimental and the other 20 for control group) patients having schizophrenia with core symptoms of hallucination and delusions under treatment as usual were selected and matched on the sociodemographic and clinical variables. For the clinical variables, the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale and Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms were used. After baseline assessment, the cognitive behavioral program was tailored on the experimental group and patients of both the group were reassessed after the completion of treatment. Follow-up data to see the durability of program were taken from all the patients of experimental and control groups. RESULTS: Cognitive behavior therapy was found to be effective for the treatment of auditory hallucination in schizophrenia. The therapeutic gains in all study variables were found to be maintained or further improving at follow-up which proves that cognitive behavior therapy is durable. CONCLUSION: Cognitive behavior therapy in conjunction with pharmacotherapy was found to be more effective in improving clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and global functioning compared to pharmacotherapy alone.

Correlation of Antenatal Ultrasound Parameters with the Postnatal Outcome of Bilateral Fetal Hydronephrosis.

AIM: To determine the role of antenatal parameters in predicting the outcome of bilateral fetal hydronephrosis. METHODOLOGY: Total 50 antenatal women with bilateral antenatal fetal hydronephrosis (ANH) were included. On ultrasound, amount of liquor, kidney size, pelvic anteroposterior diameter, degree of caliectasis, bladder size, and thickness were observed at 28 and 32 weeks of gestation. For 3 months post-delivery, the babies were evaluated in terms of ultrasound renal parameters, serum creatinine levels, and need for surgery. RESULTS: The mean gestational age at delivery was 37.4 ± 1.7. All babies were alive at birth, 48 were alive after 3 months. Surgery was done in 10/50 cases; cystoscopic fulguration was the most common procedure. There was a resolution of bilateral ANH in 27/50 cases, in 5/50 cases there was pylectasis with normal serum creatinine, and in 18/50 cases there was adverse outcome. Most of the parameters had better sensitivity and specificity at 32 weeks than at 28 weeks. At 32-week gestation, the renal pylectasis between 10 and 15 mm had the highest sensitivity (88.9%), and the presence of caliectasis had the highest specificity (90.6%) for adverse outcome. CONCLUSION: Resolution of hydronephrosis took place in the majority of cases, and there was an adverse outcome in only one-third of them. Renal caliectasis was the best marker for the prediction of adverse outcome.

Notch3 signaling promotes tumor cell adhesion and progression in a murine epithelial ovarian cancer model.

High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is the most common and deadly type of ovarian cancer, largely due to difficulties in early diagnosis and rapid metastasis throughout the peritoneal cavity. Previous studies have shown that expression of Notch3 correlates with worse prognosis and increased tumorigenic cell behaviors in HGSC. We investigated the mechanistic role of Notch3 in a model of metastatic ovarian cancer using the murine ovarian surface epithelial cell line, ID8 IP2. Notch3 was activated in ID8 IP2 cells via expression of the Notch3 intracellular domain (Notch3IC). Notch3IC ID8 IP2 cells injected intraperitoneally caused accelerated ascites and reduced survival compared to control ID8 IP2, particularly in early stages of disease. We interrogated downstream targets of Notch3IC in ID8 IP2 cells by RNA sequencing and found significant induction of genes that encode adhesion and extracellular matrix proteins. Notch3IC ID8 IP2 showed increased expression of ITGA1 mRNA and cell-surface protein. Notch3IC-mediated increase of ITGA1 was also seen in two human ovarian cancer cells. Notch3IC ID8 IP2 cells showed increased adhesion to collagens I and IV in vitro. We propose that Notch3 activation in ovarian cancer cells causes increased adherence to collagen-rich peritoneal surfaces. Thus, the correlation between increased Notch3 signaling and poor prognosis may be influenced by increased metastasis of HGSC via increased adherence of disseminating cells to new metastatic sites in the peritoneum.

Medicarpin prevents arthritis in post-menopausal conditions by arresting the expansion of TH17 cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by alteration in balance of various cytokines. Rheumatoid arthritis is a well-known inflammatory disease leading to destruction of cartilage at knee and hands. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is a common autoimmune model for rheumatoid arthritis study. Here, we have investigated the therapeutic role of medicarpin, a natural pterocarpan with known anti-osteoclastogenic activities, in postmenopausal polyarthritis model of DBA/1J mice. For this, mice were ovariectomized and CIA was induced in OVx animals with primary immunization. After 21 days, booster dose was injected in Ovariectomy (OVx) mice to develop postmenopausal poly-arthritis mice model. Medicarpin treatment in mice at dose of 10.0 mg/kg/body wt was started after 21 days of primary immunization for one month of time period every day orally. We found that medicarpin prevented alteration of TH-17/Treg ratio in CIA model leading to reduced osteoclastogenesis. Micro Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) analysis demonstrated that medicarpin prevents cartilage erosion in joints and restores loss of trabeculae parameters in distal tibia. Treatment with medicarpin also prevented alteration of various cytokines level by down-regulating various pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17A, while up-regulating anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in CIA model of mice. Biological marker of arthritis is cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). COMP level was up-regulated in CIA induced mice while treatment with medicarpin significantly restored the serum level of COMP compared with untreated groups. Cartilage staining by Safranin-O also indicates that cartilage destruction in joints of CIA mice was prevented by medicarpin treatment. From this study, we can conclude that medicarpin is effective in preventing arthritis in post-menopausal conditions.

Two-year postnatal outcome of 263 cases of fetal ventriculomegaly.

Objectives: To find out the outcome of fetal ventriculomegaly (VM) in terms of survival at birth and after two years and to evaluate the antenatal factors which influence the postnatal outcome.Method: We performed a 10-year prospective, observational study (2008-2018) including all prenatally detected fetal VM. Two years follow up of all live born was done to observe their survival, physical morbidity, and developmental delay.Results: Fetal VM was seen in 263/648 (40.6%) cases with central nervous system malformation. VM was severe in 85.9% and was associated with other anomalies in 56.3% of the cases. Total 40.3% cases with VM were live born. The outcome at birth and was poorest with severe VM (40.7%) and when VM was associated with multiple defects (30%). Only 23.6% survived beyond two years of age. There was developmental delay in 24.2% cases. Logistic regression showed that, the presence of associated defect and severe VM were significant poor prognostic factors for survival at birth (p = .001) and after two years of age (p = .002).Conclusions: In a low resource setup the problems associated with fetal VM were compounded by late referral. The knowledge of the outcome in existing setup provides data for realistic counselling to the couple.

Shear-banding instability in arbitrarily inelastic granular shear flows.

One prototypical instability in granular flows is the shear-banding instability, in which a uniform granular shear flow breaks into alternating bands of dense and dilute clusters of particles having low and high shear (shear stress or shear rate), respectively. In this work, the shear-banding instability in an arbitrarily inelastic granular shear flow is analyzed through the linear stability analysis of granular hydrodynamic equations closed with Navier-Stokes-level constitutive relations. It is shown that the choice of appropriate constitutive relations plays an important role in predicting the shear-banding instability. A parametric study is carried out to study the effect of the restitution coefficient, channel width, and mean density. Two global criteria relating the control parameters are found for the onset of the shear-banding instability.

Efficacy of anti-IL-23 monotherapy versus combination therapy with anti-IL-17 in estrogen deficiency induced bone loss conditions.

Recent studies have identified that Interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 axis plays crucial role in pathogenesis of inflammation and bone destruction. IL-23 is thought to promote joint destruction in arthritis by stimulating Th17 cells. IL-23 directly mediates bone loss by inducing osteoclastogenesis and receptor activator of kappa B ligand (RANKL) expression in T cells. IL-23 also promotes tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity of osteoclast in osteoblast-osteoclast co-culture. The role of IL-23 has not been studied in estrogen deficiency induced bone loss. Here, we study the effect of IL-23 neutralization in ovariectomized (Ovx) estrogen deficient mice on various immune and skeletal parameters. We also determine whether the combination of anti-IL-23 and anti-IL17 has enhanced osteoprotective effects compared to monotherapies. Treatment of anti-IL-23 and its combination with anti-IL-17 suppressed Th17 cell differentiation and promoted development of T regulatory cells. Anti-IL-23 and its combination with anti-IL-17 prevented bone loss. However, the individual monotherapies of anti-IL-23 and anti-IL-17 were more effective than combination therapy. Treatment of IL-17 and IL-23 cytokines to bone marrow stromal cells led to increased differentiation towards osteoblast lineage. Double neutralization of IL-23 and IL-17 might be inhibiting this phenomenon thus producing less potent effects. Our studies thus support bone protective effects of anti-IL-23 and that the monotherapies of neutralizing antibodies against IL-17 and IL-23 may be a more accepted mode of treatment in management of post-menopausal bone loss rather than combination therapy.