Anthocyanins: Potential phytochemical candidates for the amelioration of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is described by too much hepatic fat deposition causing steatosis, which further develops into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), defined by necroinflammation and fibrosis, progressing further to hepatic cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. NAFLD is linked to different aspects of the metabolic syndrome like obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, and its pathogenesis involves several elements including diet, obesity, disruption of lipid homeostasis, and a high buildup of triglycerides and other lipids in liver cells. It is therefore linked to an increase in the susceptibility to developing diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Several interventions exist regarding its management, but the availability of natural sources through diet will be a benefit in dealing with the disorder due to the immensely growing dependence of the population worldwide on natural sources owing to their ability to treat the root cause of the disease. Anthocyanins (ACNs) are naturally occurring polyphenolic pigments that exist in the form of glycosides, which are the glucosides of anthocyanidins and are produced from flavonoids via the phenyl propanoid pathway. To understand their mode of action in NAFLD and their therapeutic potential, the literature on in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials on naturally occurring ACN-rich sources was exhaustively reviewed. It was concluded that ACNs show their potential in the treatment of NAFLD through their antioxidant properties and their efficacy to control lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, transcription factors, and inflammation. This led to the conclusion that ACNs possess efficacy in the amelioration of NAFLD and the various features associated with it. However, additional clinical trials are required to justify the potential of ACNs in NAFLD.

Chromatin Remodeling Due to Transient-Link-and-Pass Activity Enhances Subnuclear Dynamics.

Spatiotemporal coordination of chromatin and subnuclear compartments is crucial for cells. Numerous enzymes act inside nucleus-some of those transiently link and pass two chromatin segments. Here, we study how such an active perturbation affects fluctuating dynamics of an inclusion in the chromatic medium. Using numerical simulations and a versatile effective model, we categorize inclusion dynamics into three distinct modes. The transient-link-and-pass activity speeds up inclusion dynamics by affecting a slow mode related to chromatin remodeling, viz., size and shape of the chromatin meshes.

Stronger EPR-steering criterion based on inferred Schrödinger-Robertson uncertainty relation.

Steering is one of the three in-equivalent forms of nonlocal correlations intermediate between Bell nonlocality and entanglement. Schrödinger-Robertson uncertainty relation (SRUR), has been widely used to detect entanglement and steering. However, the steering criterion in earlier works, based on SRUR, did not involve complete inferred-variance uncertainty relation. In this paper, by considering the local hidden state model and Reid's formalism, we derive a complete inferred-variance EPR-steering criterion based on SRUR in the bipartite scenario. Furthermore, we check the effectiveness of our steering criterion with discrete variable bipartite two-qubit and two-qutrit isotropic states.

Low-Birth-Weight among Term Newborns Born to Anaemic Pregnant Women Admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a Tertiary Care Centre.

Introduction: Anaemia is one of the most common conditions which affects a significant proportion of pregnant women worldwide. These patients may have adverse effects on both the mother and the developing fetus. Detecting and timely treating anaemia in pregnancy help in the overall improvement of maternal and fetal health. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of low-birth-weight among term newborns born to anaemic pregnant women admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women who were diagnosed with anaemia and admitted for delivery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. Data was collected from 10 December 2022 to 10 March 2023. Convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval. Results: Among 300 newborns, the prevalence of low-birth-weight was 106 (35.33%) (29.92-40.74, 95% Confidence Interval). Among 106 newborn, 64 (60.37%) were male and 42 (39.62%) were female. Conclusions: The prevalence of low-birth-weight among newborns born to term anaemic pregnant women admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in a tertiary care centre was found to be higher than in studies done in a similar settings. Keywords: anaemia; infant; low birth weight; morbidity; pregnancy.

How enzymatic activity is involved in chromatin organization.

Spatial organization of chromatin plays a critical role in genome regulation. Previously, various types of affinity mediators and enzymes have been attributed to regulate spatial organization of chromatin from a thermodynamics perspective. However, at the mechanistic level, enzymes act in their unique ways and perturb the chromatin. Here, we construct a polymer physics model following the mechanistic scheme of Topoisomerase-II, an enzyme resolving topological constraints of chromatin, and investigate how it affects interphase chromatin organization. Our computer simulations demonstrate Topoisomerase-II's ability to phase separate chromatin into eu- and heterochromatic regions with a characteristic wall-like organization of the euchromatic regions. We realized that the ability of the euchromatic regions to cross each other due to enzymatic activity of Topoisomerase-II induces this phase separation. This realization is based on the physical fact that partial absence of self-avoiding interaction can induce phase separation of a system into its self-avoiding and non-self-avoiding parts, which we reveal using a mean-field argument. Furthermore, motivated from recent experimental observations, we extend our model to a bidisperse setting and show that the characteristic features of the enzymatic activity-driven phase separation survive there. The existence of these robust characteristic features, even under the non-localized action of the enzyme, highlights the critical role of enzymatic activity in chromatin organization.

The biomechanics of ultra-stretchable nerves.

When digging in the ground during egg laying the female locust extends her abdomen to 2-3 times of its original length. How the abdominal nervous system accommodates such extreme elongation remains unknown. We characterized and quantified the system's biomechanical response using controlled ex vivo elongation and force measurements. The microstructure of the nerves was studied using histology and high-resolution confocal microscopy. Although the nervous system of sexually mature females demonstrated fully reversible hyper-extensibility of up to 275%, the elongation observed in premature females and males was much more limited. The unique extension dynamics of the different groups were captured by their very different force-displacement curves. Confocal microscopy suggested that elongation is not owing to undulations of the nervous system structure. Thus, the exceptional resistance to deformation and rupture presents the female locust abdominal nervous system as a valuable model for understanding the functionality and pathology related to nerve extension and reversible elongation.

Marine Bacterial Dextranases: Fundamentals and Applications.

Dextran, a renewable hydrophilic polysaccharide, is nontoxic, highly stable but intrinsically biodegradable. The α-1, 6 glycosidic bonds in dextran are attacked by dextranase (E.C. 3.2.1.11) which is an inducible enzyme. Dextranase finds many applications such as, in sugar industry, in the production of human plasma substitutes, and for the treatment and prevention of dental plaque. Currently, dextranases are obtained from terrestrial fungi which have longer duration for production but not very tolerant to environmental conditions and have safety concerns. Marine bacteria have been proposed as an alternative source of these enzymes and can provide prospects to overcome these issues. Indeed, marine bacterial dextranases are reportedly more effective and suitable for dental caries prevention and treatment. Here, we focused on properties of dextran, properties of dextran-hydrolyzing enzymes, particularly from marine sources and the biochemical features of these enzymes. Lastly the potential use of these marine bacterial dextranase to remove dental plaque has been discussed. The review covers dextranase-producing bacteria isolated from shrimp, fish, algae, sea slit, and sea water, as well as from macro- and micro fungi and other microorganisms. It is common knowledge that dextranase is used in the sugar industry; produced as a result of hydrolysis by dextranase and have prebiotic properties which influence the consistency and texture of food products. In medicine, dextranases are used to make blood substitutes. In addition, dextranase is used to produce low molecular weight dextran and cytotoxic dextran. Furthermore, dextranase is used to enhance antibiotic activity in endocarditis. It has been established that dextranase from marine bacteria is the most preferable for removing plaque, as it has a high enzymatic activity. This study lays the groundwork for the future design and development of different oral care products, based on enzymes derived from marine bacteria.

Computer vision syndrome, musculoskeletal, and stress-related problems among visual display terminal users in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: The use of computers and other Visual Display Terminal (VDT) screens is increasing in Nepal. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) and other occupational health concerns among employees working in front of VDT screens in the Nepalese population. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of CVS, musculoskeletal and work-related stress among VDT screen users in the office, as well as their understanding and usage of preventive measures. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study among 319 VDT users in office settings in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal, using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the associated factors at 95% CI. P-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of CVS was 89.4%. More than eight out of ten study participants reported at least one visual and musculoskeletal symptom. Work-related stress, which was moderate-difficult to handle, was present in 36.7% of the study population. The mean±SD computer usage per day was 7.9±1.9 hours. Tired eye (63.3%), feeling of dry eye (57.8%), headache (56.9%) were the common visual symptoms of CVS reported. Total computer use/day > = 8 hours OR 2.6, improper viewing distance OR 3.2, Not using an anti-glare screen OR 2.6, not using eye-drops, and not wearing protective goggles OR 3.1 were significantly associated with the presence of CVS. There was no statistically significant association between visual symptoms of CVS, musculoskeletal symptoms, and stress with gender. CONCLUSION: CVS was substantially related to not employing preventive measures, working longer hours, and having an incorrect viewing distance. With more hours per day spent in front of a VDT screen, work-related stress and musculoskeletal complaints were also found to be important correlates. Similarly, work-related stress was found more among those who had less than five years of job.

Cellulolytic and Xylanolytic Enzymes from Yeasts: Properties and Industrial Applications.

Lignocellulose, the main component of plant cell walls, comprises polyaromatic lignin and fermentable materials, cellulose and hemicellulose. It is a plentiful and renewable feedstock for chemicals and energy. It can serve as a raw material for the production of various value-added products, including cellulase and xylanase. Cellulase is essentially required in lignocellulose-based biorefineries and is applied in many commercial processes. Likewise, xylanases are industrially important enzymes applied in papermaking and in the manufacture of prebiotics and pharmaceuticals. Owing to the widespread application of these enzymes, many prokaryotes and eukaryotes have been exploited to produce cellulase and xylanases in good yields, yet yeasts have rarely been explored for their plant-cell-wall-degrading activities. This review is focused on summarizing reports about cellulolytic and xylanolytic yeasts, their properties, and their biotechnological applications.

BanglaSER: A speech emotion recognition dataset for the Bangla language.

The speech emotion recognition system determines a speaker's emotional state by analyzing his/her speech audio signal. It is an essential at the same time a challenging task in human-computer interaction systems and is one of the most demanding areas of research using artificial intelligence and deep machine learning architectures. Despite being the world's seventh most widely spoken language, Bangla is still classified as one of the low-resource languages for speech emotion recognition tasks because of inadequate availability of data. There is an apparent lack of speech emotion recognition dataset to perform this type of research in Bangla language. This article presents a Bangla language-based emotional speech-audio recognition dataset to address this problem. BanglaSER is a Bangla language-based speech emotion recognition dataset. It consists of speech-audio data of 34 participating speakers from diverse age groups between 19 and 47 years, with a balanced 17 male and 17 female nonprofessional participating actors. This dataset contains 1467 Bangla speech-audio recordings of five rudimentary human emotional states, namely angry, happy, neutral, sad, and surprise. Three trials are conducted for each emotional state. Hence, the total number of recordings involves 3 statements × 3 repetitions × 4 emotional states (angry, happy, sad, and surprise) × 34 participating speakers = 1224 recordings + 3 statements × 3 repetitions × 1 emotional state (neutral) × 27 participating speakers = 243 recordings, resulting in a total number of recordings of 1467. BanglaSER dataset is created by recording speech-audios through smartphones, and laptops, having a balanced number of recordings in each category with evenly distributed participating male and female actors, and would serve as an essential training dataset for the Bangla speech emotion recognition model in terms of generalization. BanglaSER is compatible with various deep learning architectures such as Convolutional neural networks, Long short-term memory, Gated recurrent unit, Transformer, etc. The dataset is available at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/t9h6p943xy/5 and can be used for research purposes.

The biomechanics of the locust ovipositor valves: a unique digging apparatus.

The female locust has a unique mechanism for digging in order to deposit its eggs deep in the ground. It uses two pairs of sclerotized valves to displace the granular matter, while extending its abdomen as it propagates underground. This ensures optimal conditions for the eggs to incubate and provides them with protection from predators. Here, the direction-dependent biomechanics of the locust's major, dorsal digging valves are quantified and analysed under forces in the physiological range and beyond, considering the hydration level as well as the females' sexual maturation state. Our findings reveal that the responses of the valves to compression forces in the digging and propagation directions change upon sexual maturation to follow their function and depend on environmental conditions. In addition, mature females, which lay eggs, have stiffer valves, up to approximately 19 times the stiffness of the pre-mature locusts. The valves are stiffer in the major working direction, corresponding to soil shuffling and compression, compared with the direction of propagation. Hydration of the valves reduces their stiffness but increases their resilience against failure. These findings provide mechanical and materials guidelines for the design of novel non-drilling burrowing tools, including three-dimensionally printed anisotropic materials based on composites.

MRI Abnormalities of the Brain After Complex Febrile Seizures in Children.

Background Though simple febrile seizures do not cause significant and lasting neurological deficits, complex febrile seizures (CFS) can result in neurologic sequelae. Because CFS causes cortical focal injuries and other brain lesions, it needs to be evaluated. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the MRI brain changes in CFS, the incidence of seizures in children aged six months to five years, and their severity in relation to MRI findings of the brain. Methods In this observational study, 36 children aged six months to five years, having fever with seizure, and fulfilling the criteria of CFS were enrolled within 48 hours of the episode. Detailed clinical and neurological examinations were performed with MRI scans to find out the probable CNS lesions of CFS. Two radiologists separately evaluated all MRI brains. Results MRI lesions of the brain were found in 11 (30.56%) CFS patients. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) (n=31, 86.11%) were the most common type of seizure among CFS cases. Cortical focal hyperintensity (CFH) (42.1%) was the most common MRI presentation. Positive MRI findings were significantly associated with focal convulsions (n=5, 100%) as compared to GTCS cases (n=6, 19%) (p=0.001). Conclusions CFH is the most common abnormality in the MRI brain among CFS cases. CFS patients with focal seizures or prolonged seizures in 24 hours have higher abnormal neuroimaging findings. MRI should be considered a preferred investigatory tool for detecting CNS pathology in CFS cases. Follow-up studies are needed to determine the long-term outcomes of CNS lesions in children with CFS.

Aeromonas species obtained from different farmed aquatic species in India and Taiwan show high phenotypic relatedness despite species diversity.

OBJECTIVES: Aeromonads cause severe diseases in farmed aquatic organisms. Herein, we examined 28 isolates causing disease in farmed aquatic organisms from India (n = 24) and Taiwan (n = 4) to gain insight of their genotypic and phenotypic properties. RESULTS: API 20NE biochemical phenotyping showed ≥ 90% similarity classifying all isolates as Aeromonas hydrophila. 16S rRNA genotyping showed ≥ 98% homology among all isolates with A. sobria (NR119044.1ATCC), A. veronii (MK990549.1), A. caviae (NR029252.1) and A. hydrophila (MG984625.1ATCC) and other reference strains. In contrast, gyrB showed a higher intraspecies diversity (≥ 96%) than 16S rRNA delineating the 28 isolates into three groups. Group-I consisted of seven Indian isolates clustered with A. sobria (MK484163.1ATCC), group-II comprised of five Indian and two Taiwanese isolates clustered with A. veronii AF417626.1ATCC while group-III had 11 Indian and three Taiwanese isolates grouped with A. hydrophila (AY987520.1 and DQ519366.1) reference strains. None of our isolates clustered with A. caviae (AJ868400.1ATCC) reference strain. These findings suggest that A. sobria, A. veronii and A. hydrophila could be the etiological agents of diseases observed in farmed fish and soft-shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis) examined in this study. Overall, our findings accentuate the importance of combining phenotyping with genotyping for correct taxonomic classification of Aeromonas spp. in Aquaculture.

Study of the impact of a telemedicine service in improving pre-hospital care and referrals to a tertiary care university hospital in Nepal.

Background: Telemedicine is a process which involve medical experts to exchange valid information for diagnosis, clinical management, treatment and counseling for both healthcare workers and patients remotely in rural setting from urban healthcare center. Providing quality healthcare services in Nepal is challenging due to many reasons such as difficult geographic terrain, limited availability of funding and many other issues. Methods: The study design was a cross sectional and will adopt an interpretative case study approach which supports the researcher to develop a deep insight in to study phenomenon and outcomes. Study was conducted at in two rural-telemedicine programme implementation sites, namely Patle, Fikkal Bazaar and one central consultation site BPKIHS Dharan. Result: A total of 315 patients were undergone teleconsultation process during the study period. The total patients consulted after teleconsultation program in each of center were 1386 (Phikal) and 508 (Patle). Among them 205 (Phikal) and 110 (Patle) were called on the teleconsultation day. Among the patients who were seen via teleconsultation, 36 (2.6 %) from Phikal and 22 (4.3%) from Patle were referred to BPKIHS. The total number of referred patient from those center to other center were 327(Phikal) and 208 (Patle) among those referred 205 (Phikal) and 110 (Patle) came during teleconsultation Process. Conclusion: Telemedicine can be used as a critical component in the solution of the healthcare crisis. Telemedicine will be the best as a substitute to improve the access to healthcare, to provide the healthcare cost-effectively. The current paradigm of care can be taken by telemedicine due to which improved health outcomes can be achieved in cost effective Ways.

2D Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Coated Cotton Fabric with Self-Extinguishing Property.

Here, we report on the fabrication of flame retardant hydrophobic cotton fabrics based on the coating with two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (2D hBN) nanosheets. A simple one-step solution dipping process was used to coat the fabrics by taking advantage of the strong bonding between diethylenetriamine and hBN on the cotton surface. Exposure to direct flame confirmed the improvement of the flame retardant properties of the coated cotton fabrics. In turn, removal of the flame source revealed self-extinguishing properties. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that hBN hinders combustion by reducing the rate at which oxygen molecules reach the cotton surface. This time-saving and one-step approach for the fabrication of flame-retardant cotton fabrics offers significant advantages over other, less efficient production methods.

Nonquenched rotators ease flocking and memorize it.

We introduce a minimal model for a two-dimensional polar flock with nonquenched rotators and show that the rotators make the usual macroscopic long-range order of the flock more robust than the clean system. The rotators memorize the flock-information which helps in establishing the robustness. Moreover, the memory of the rotators assists in probing the moving flock. We also formulate a hydrodynamic framework for the microscopic model that makes our study comprehensive. Using linearized hydrodynamics, it is shown that the presence of such nonquenched heterogeneities increases the sound speeds of the flock. The enhanced sound speeds lead to faster convection of information and consequently the robust ordering in the system. We argue that similar nonquenched heterogeneities may be useful in monitoring and controlling large crowds.

Reversible Adhesion via Light-Regulated Conformations of Rubber Chains.

Bio-inspired reversible adhesives have attracted great attention because of their promising applications in the electronic, biomedical, and robotic fields. Here, to achieve in situ reversible adhesion, a new concept is demonstrated by modulating the conformations of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chains. The new adhesive, termed BGPP, is composed of the graphene/PDMS composite (GP) as the backing layer and PDMS as the micropillar array. The photothermal effect of graphene under UV irradiation heats up the micropillars, resulting in an increase in the chain conformations of PDMS and thus the contact points with the counterpart surface. The more contact points together with the alignment of PDMS chains during the shearing result in an adhesion much higher than that without UV irradiation. The adhesion switching thus does not rely on the changing of the contact area, and so the macroscopic deformation of structures is avoided. The results suggest a new design principle for light-controllable structured adhesive, which could be conceptualized into other rubbery materials.

In vivo structural dynamic analysis of the dragonfly wing: the effect of stigma as its modulator.

The flapping of the dragonfly forewing under in vivo condition has been analysed by image correlation technique to get an insight of its structural dynamics. The modal parameters such as flapping frequency, natural frequencies, mode shapes and modal strain have been obtained that will facilitate the biomimetic design of wings for micro air vehicles. The stigma, which is a pigmented spot at the leading edge of the wing near the tip having heavier mass, takes an active role in the real-time flapping by shaping its trajectory as eight-shaped, which enhances the drag coefficient and stroke efficiency. The extra mass on it and its removal transformed the trajectory into two different elliptical and oval shapes, respectively, which reduced the drag coefficient and stroke efficiency of the flapping wing by altering the flapping kinematics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bioinspired materials and surfaces for green science and technology (part 2)'.

Enhanced dynamics of active Brownian particles in periodic obstacle arrays and corrugated channels.

We study the motion of an active Brownian particle (ABP) using the overdamped Langevin dynamics on a two-dimensional substrate with periodic array of obstacles and in a quasi-one-dimensional corrugated channel comprised of periodically arrayed obstacles. The periodic arrangement of the obstacles enhances the persistent motion of the ABP in comparison to its motion in the free space. Persistent motion increases with the activity of the ABP. We note that the periodic arrangement induces directionality in ABP motion at late time, and it increases with the size of the obstacles. We also note that the ABP exhibits a super-diffusive dynamics in the corrugated channel. The transport property is independent of the shape of the channel; rather it depends on the packing fraction of the obstacles in the system. However, the ABP shows the usual diffusive dynamics in the quasi-one-dimensional channel with flat boundary.

Biomechanical Evaluation of Wasp and Honeybee Stingers.

In order to design a painless and mechanically durable micro syringe-needle system for biomedical applications, the study of insect stingers is of interest because of their elegant structures and functionalities. In the present work, the structure, mechanical properties and the mechanical behavior during insertion of wasp and honeybee stingers have been investigated. The non-invasive imaging tool, micro-computed tomography has been employed to reveal the 3D-structures of wasp and honeybee stingers. A quasi-static nanoindentation instrument was used to measure the nanomechanical properties. Both wasp and honeybee stingers have graded mechanical properties, decreasing along their longitudinal direction starting from the base. The computed tomography images and the measured material properties from nanoindentation were fed into a computational framework to determine the mechanical behavior of the stingers during penetration. The computation results predicted the penetration angle of +10° for the wasp stinger and -6° for the honeybee stinger, which mimics the practical insertion mechanism of both stingers. Based on this understanding, a wasp and honeybee stringer inspired micro syringe-needle design has also been proposed.