Exosome-Based Macromolecular neurotherapeutic drug delivery approaches in overcoming the Blood-Brain barrier for treating brain disorders.

Delivering drugs to the brain is a complex challenge in medical research, particularly for disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The blood-brain barrier restricts the entry of many therapeutic molecules, hindering their effectiveness. Nanoparticles, a potential solution, face issues like toxicity and limited approvals. A new avenue explores the use of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), i.e., exosomes, as natural carriers for drug delivery. sEVs, tiny structures below 150 nm, show promise due to their minimal immune response and ability to precisely deliver drugs. This review focuses on the potential of sEVs-based drug delivery systems for treating neurological disorders, brain cancers, and other brain-related issues. Notably, bioengineered sEVs-carrying therapeutic compounds exhibit promise in early studies. The unique features of sEVs, such as their small size and natural properties, position them as candidates to overcome challenges in drug delivery to the brain. Ongoing clinical trials and research into sEVs behavior within the body further highlight their potential for revolutionizing drug delivery and addressing complex brain conditions.

Utility of an in-house real-time PCR in whole blood samples as a minimally invasive method for early and accurate diagnosis of invasive mould infections.

INTRODUCTION: Invasive mould infections (IMIs) are a leading cause of death in patients with compromised immune systems. Proven invasive mould infection requires detection of a fungus by histopathological analysis of a biopsied specimen, sterile culture, or fungal DNA amplification by PCR in tissue. However, the clinical performance of a PCR assay on blood samples taken from patients suspected of invasive mould disease has not been fully evaluated, particularly for the differential diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and invasive Mucormycosis (IM). OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic utility of our previously validated in-house real-time PCR in blood samples for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis in patients with suspected invasive mould infection. METHODS: All patients with suspected invasive mould infection were prospectively enrolled from May 2021 to July 2021. Conventional fungal diagnosis was performed using tissue and respiratory samples. In-house PCR was performed on blood samples and its diagnostic performance evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 158 cases of suspected invasive mould infection were enrolled in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of in-house PCR performed on blood samples was found to be 92.5% and 81.4% respectively for diagnosis of probable IA, and 65% and 84.62% respectively for diagnosis of proven and probable IM. It was also able to detect 3 out of 5 cases of possible IM where no other microbiological evidence of IM was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: This assay could be helpful in minimally invasive diagnosis of IMIs for patients in whom invasive sampling is not feasible, especially as a preliminary or screening test. It can help in early diagnosis, anticipating conventional laboratory confirmation by days or weeks. Possible correlation between fungal load and mortality can help in initiating aggressive treatment for patients with high initial fungal load.

A comprehensive guide to assess gut mycobiome and its role in pathogenesis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune mediated chronic inflammatory disorder of gastrointestinal tract, which has underlying multifactorial pathogenic determinants such as environmental factors, susceptibility genes, gut microbial dysbiosis and a dysregulated immune response. Human gut is a frequent inhabitant of complex microbial ecosystem encompassing bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and other microorganisms that have an undisputable role in maintaining balanced homeostasis. All of these microbes interact with immune system and affect human gut physiology either directly or indirectly with interaction of each other. Intestinal fungi represent a smaller but crucial component of the human gut microbiome. Besides interaction with bacteriome and virome, it helps in balancing homoeostasis between pathophysiological and physiological processes, which is often dysregulated in patients with IBD. Understanding of gut mycobiome and its clinical implications are still in in its infancy as opposed to bacterial component of gut microbiome, which is more often focused. Modulation of gut mycobiome represents a novel and promising strategy in the management of patients with IBD. Emerging mycobiome-based therapies such as diet interventions, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), probiotics (both fungal and bacterial strains) and antifungals exhibit substantial effects in calibrating the gut mycobiome and restoring dysbalanced immune homeostasis by restoring the core gut mycobiome. In this review, we summarized compositional and functional diversity of the gut mycobiome in healthy individuals and patients with IBD, gut mycobiome dysbiosis in patients with IBD, host immune-fungal interactions and therapeutic role of modulation of intestinal fungi in patients with IBD.

Low Power Volatile and Nonvolatile Memristive Devices from 1D MoO2 -MoS2 Core-Shell Heterostructures for Future Bio-Inspired Computing.

Memristors-based integrated circuits for emerging bio-inspired computing paradigms require an integrated approach utilizing both volatile and nonvolatile memristive devices. Here, an innovative architecture comprising of 1D CVD-grown core-shell heterostructures (CSHSs) of MoO2 -MoS2 is employed as memristors manifesting both volatile switching (with high selectivity of 107 and steep slope of 0.6 mV decade-1 ) and nonvolatile switching phenomena (with Ion /Ioff ≈103 and switching speed of 60 ns). In these CSHSs, the metallic core MoO2 with high current carrying capacity provides a conformal and immaculate interface with semiconducting MoS2 shells and therefore it acts as a bottom electrode for the memristors. The power consumption in volatile devices is as low as 50 pW per set transition and 0.1 fW in standby mode. Voltage-driven current spikes are observed for volatile devices while with nonvolatile memristors, key features of a biological synapse such as short/long-term plasticity and paired pulse facilitation are emulated suggesting their potential for the development of neuromorphic circuits. These CSHSs offer an unprecedented solution for the interfacial issues between metallic electrodes and the layered materials-based switching element with the prospects of developing smaller footprint memristive devices for future integrated circuits.

Use of a hybrid soft tissue autograft for gingival phenotype modification lingual to mandibular incisors.

Presence of adequate dimensions of keratinized/attached gingiva (KT/AG) and gingival thickness (GT) is considered necessary to maintain optimal periodontal health and long-term stability of gingival margin. Gingival phenotype modification therapies to increase these two dimensions (GT and KT/AG) on the buccal aspect of teeth have been widely reported, but the literature on lingual gingival augmentation is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to report the outcomes of a case treated with an envelope flap combined with a hybrid soft tissue autograft (subepithelial connective tissue graft with an epithelial collar) for phenotype modification of gingiva lingual to mandibular incisors presenting with thin gingiva (<1 mm) and lack of AG in tooth # 31 and 42. At 12 months follow-up, a substantial gain in KT, AG and GT along with partial root coverage was achieved.

Effectiveness of a dietician-led intervention in reducing glycated haemoglobin among people with type 2 diabetes in Nepal: a single centre, open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Nutrition education and counselling are considered a cornerstone for the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is limited research related to the management of T2D through dietary approach, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nepal. This study assessed the effectiveness of a dietician-led dietary intervention in reducing glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels among people with T2D. Methods: An open-label, two-armed, hospital-based, randomised controlled trial was conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Participants were randomly assigned to either dietician-led dietary intervention group (n = 78) or usual care control group (n = 78). People with type 2 diabetes with HbA1c >6.5% and aged 24-64 years were included in the study. The primary outcome was a change in HbA1c level over six months, and secondary outcomes included changes in biochemical and clinical parameters, Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) score, diabetic knowledge, dietary adherence, and macronutrient intake level. Data were analysed using an intention-to-treat approach. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04267367. Findings: Between August 15, 2021 and February 25, 2022, 156 people with type 2 diabetes were recruited for the study, of which 136 participants completed the trial. At six months of follow-up, compared to baseline values, the mean HbA1c (%) level decreased in the intervention group by 0.48 (95% CI: -0.80 to -0.16), while it increased in the control group by 0.22 (95% CI: -0.21 to 0.66). In an adjusted model, the reduction in HbA1c (%) levels for the intervention was 0.61 (95% CI: -1.04 to -0.17; p = 0.006). In addition, fasting blood glucose was decreased by 18.96 mg/dL (95% CI: -36.12 to -1.81; p = 0.031) after the intervention. The intervention resulted in the reduction of BMI, waist and hip circumference, PAID score, dietary adherence, and macronutrient intake in the intervention group compared to the control group. Interpretation: The dietician-led intervention improved glycaemic control, improved macronutrient intake, and clinical outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes. The dietician-led intervention may be considered for diabetes management in LMICs. Funding: The research was funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC), Nepal.

Synergy between plasmonic nanocavities and random lasing modes: a tool to dequench plasmon quenched fluorophore emission.

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) can be employed to modify the emission level of a dye emitter by tailoring the spectral overlap of the optical gain and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). In the case of plasmonic random lasers, tuning the spectral overlap by manipulating metal NPs changes the scattering properties of the system, which is crucial in random lasers (RLs). In order to overcome this drawback, the emitter gain spectrum across the LSPR is tuned by appropriately choosing various dye emitters. A system with Au nanoislands (NIs) randomly distributed on the surface of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods on a glass substrate coated with three different dye emitters has been employed to study the metal-gain interaction as a function of spectral overlap. It is observed that the photoluminescence is quenched in the presence of Au NIs for all the three dye emitters; however, the degree of quenching is found to be directly proportional to the extent of spectral overlap of the LSPR and the fluorophore emission spectrum, with the resonantly coupled systems exhibiting higher random lasing thresholds. However, a dequenching of the emission is observed under spectrally off-resonant conditions, leading to a lower threshold RL. The effect of tailoring of the metal-gain interaction on the coherent and incoherent intensity components of RL emission is studied to elucidate the contrasting results of photoluminescence and RL emission. As the optical gain shifts away from the LSPR peak, the RL emission is dominated by the coherent intensity. The speckle-like field distributions of the RL modes couple to the plasmonic nanocavities along with a reduced absorption loss for the off-resonant case, leading to an enhanced stimulated emission. Hence, a synergy between random laser modes, plasmonic nanocavities and optimum spectral overlap has been utilized as a tool to dequench the plasmon quenched fluorophore emission.

Potentials of genotypes, morpho-physio-biochemical traits, and growing media on shelf life and future prospects of gene editing in tomatoes.

Background: To study the genetic basis of the impact of genotypes and morpho-physio-biochemical traits under different organic and inorganic fertilizer doses on the shelf life attribute of tomatoes, field experiments were conducted in randomized block designs during the rabi seasons of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. The experiment comprised three diverse nutrient environments [T1-organic; T2-inorganic; T3-control (without any fertilizers)] and five tomato genotypes with variable growth habits, specifically Angoorlata (Indeterminate), Avinash-3 (semi-determinate), Swaraksha (semi-determinate), Pusa Sheetal (semi-determinate), and Pusa Rohini (determinate). Results: The different tomato genotypes behaved apparently differently from each other in terms of shelf life. All the genotypes had maximum shelf life when grown in organic environments. However, the Pusa Sheetal had a maximum shelf life of 8.35 days when grown in an organic environment and showed an increase of 12% over the control. The genotype Pusa Sheetal, organic environment and biochemical trait Anthocyanin provides a promise as potential contributor to improve the keeping quality of tomatoes. Conclusion: The genotype Pusa Sheetal a novel source for shelf life, organic environment, and anthocyanin have shown promises for extended shelf life in tomatoes. Thus, the identified trait and genotype can be utilized in tomato improvement programs. Furthermore, this identified trait can also be targeted for its quantitative enhancement in order to increase tomato shelf life through a genome editing approach. A generalized genome editing mechanism is consequently suggested.

Quality of Life of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients before and after Primary Treatment.

Background: HNSCC (head and neck squamous cell carcinoma) is a serious global health problem, with estimated more than 550,000 new cases and 300,000 deaths annually. More than 90% of these malignancies are oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods: Patients selected were asked to fill the detailed structured case history proforma and thorough clinical examination, structured, pre-designed, pre-evaluated (UW-QOL) UW Questionnaire version 4 on quality of life (QOL) of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients containing thirteen subjective questionnaires and three global questionnaires. All the patients of OSCC after one month (1 month) of radiation and chemotherapy were assessed for quality of life by questionnaire. Result: Post-treatment QOL assessment of OSCC patients reveals a number of problems such as chewing, swallowing, saliva, lack of activity, and mood disturbances. Preoperative clinical features including tumor site, tumor stage, and extent of mouth opening have a significant impact on post-treatment problems in different ways. Conclusion: The need to balance clinician's need and use of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data against patient's burden should be considered in the selection process.

Evaluation of Different Decalcification Agents on Extracted Tooth: A Comparative Study.

Introduction: The pulp is the most negatively impacted tissue during decalcification since it comprises the soft tissue components. The most effective decalcifying agent would be safest for cells and tissues while yet removing all traces of calcium. It has to get the job done quickly and have good staining properties. Aim and Objective: The goal of this research was to identify the most effective decalcifying agent for diagnostic purposes via a qualitative investigation of tissue preservation and a comparison of the efficiency of several decalcifying agents on human permanent teeth, covering both hard and soft tissue components. Materials and Methods: Fifty premolars from people aged 14 to 30 who needed them pulled for orthodontics were included in the research. Participants in the research were divided into five groups of ten. Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, and Group E make up the total of five groups. In this investigation, we compared the efficiency of five decalcifying chemicals and analyzed their staining patterns and effects on tooth tissue. Fifty premolar teeth from participants aged 14-30 years old were removed for orthodontic therapy. For the research, they were split up into five groups of ten. Group A contains 5% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Group B contains 10% formic acid, Group C contains 5% Trichoraticectic acid, Group D contains 5% nitric acid, and Group E contains 5% formalin-nitric acid. Result: Regardless of the specifics of the chosen decalcification solution, all procedures benefit from the inclusion of external stimuli. None of the variables were used in the current investigation; it was conducted only to compare various decalcifying chemicals. Conclusion: When time is not a concern, neutral EDTA may be recommended for preservation and presentation because of its ability to maintain soft-tissue integrity and provide high-quality staining. The formalin-nitric acid solution was one agent that appeared to strike a good compromise between speed and tissue preservation.

A Comparative Evaluation of Collagen in Ameloblastoma and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma using Picrosirius Red Staining with Polarizing Microscopy and CD44v6 Immunoreactivity.

Background: Solid multicystic ameloblastoma (SMA) is a locally aggressive, benign odontogenic tumor of odontogenic origin with greater rate of recurrence. Epithelial-mesenchymal interaction plays an important role in tooth morphogenesis that shows complete differentiation of epithelial and ectomesenchymal components to the level of tooth formation. Tumor stroma in ameloblastoma is normal mature collagen that prevents differentiation to the level of tooth formation. Current study evaluates the role of stromal elements in aggressive behavior of SMA using picrosirius red staining with polarizing microscopy and CD44v6 immunohistochemistry (IHC). Objectives: To compare nature of collagen using picrosirius red staining under polarized microscope and IHC expression of CD44v6 marker in SMA and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: Thirty blocks were retrieved from departmental archives and subjected to picrosirius red staining and CD44v6 IHC staining. Slides stained with picrosirius red were observed under polarized microscope to report the birefringence pattern. IHC slides were annotated for intensity of staining of tumor cells. Results: In contrast to OSCC's 40% red, 40% yellowish-red, and 20% greenish-yellow birefringence, SMA displayed 87% red, 13% yellowish-red, and 0% greenish-yellow. Compared to OSCC, which had tumor cells stained 9% strongly, 64% moderately, 27% mildly, and 0% negatively, SMA revealed 0% strong, 10% moderate, 60% weak, and 30% negative staining. Conclusion: As opposed to OSCC, which exhibited a greater quantity of greenish-yellow birefringence of immature collagen, SMA showed predominantly red birefringence, which is suggestive of mature collagen with a lack of metastasis. Comparing SMA to OSCC, the lack of significant CD44v6 positivity suggests that there has not been perineural invasion or regional metastases in SMA.

Utility of in-house and commercial PCR assay in diagnosis of Covid-19 associated mucormycoss in an emergency setting in a tertiary care center.

Introduction. Invasive mucormycosis (IM) is a potentially fatal infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. Histopathology, culture, and radiology are the mainstays of diagnosis, but they are not sufficiently sensitive, resulting in delayed diagnosis and intervention. Recent studies have shown that PCR-based techniques can be a promising way to diagnose IM.Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Early diagnosis of fungal infections using molecular diagnostic techniques can improve patient outcomes, especially in invasive mucormycosis.Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of our in-house mould-specific real time PCR assay (qPCR) in comparison with the commercially available real time PCR (MucorGenius PCR), for the early diagnosis of mucormycosis in tissue samples from patients with suspicion of invasive mucormycosis (IM). This in-house assay can detect and distinguish three clinically relevant mould species, e.g. Aspergillus spp., Mucorales and Fusarium spp. in a single reaction with only one pair of primers, without the need for sequencing.Methodology. We enrolled 313 tissue samples from 193 patients with suspected IM in this prospective study. All cases were classified using EORTC/MSGERC guidelines. All samples were tested using traditional methods, in-house qPCR, and MucorGenius PCR.Results. Using direct microscopy as a gold standard, the overall sensitivity and specificity of in-house qPCR for detection of IM was 92.46% and 80% respectively, while that of the MucorGenius PCR was 66.67% and 90% respectively. However, co-infection of IM and IA adversely affected the performance of MucorGenius PCR in detection of IM.The in-house PCR detected Aspergillus spp. in 14 cases and Fusarium spp. in 4 cases which showed clinical and radiological features of fungal sinusitis. The in-house qPCR also performed better in detecting possible cases of IM. This aids early diagnosis and appropriate treatment to improve patient outcomes.Conclusion. Because the in-house PCR is not only sensitive and specific, but also entirely based on SYBR Green for detection of targets, it is less expensive than probe-based assays and can be used on a regular basis for the diagnosis of IM in resource-constrained settings. It can be used to distinguish between mucormycosis and fungal sinusitis caused by Aspergillus and Fusarium in high-risk patients, as well as to accurately detect Mucorales in fungal co-infection cases.

Disentangling potential genotypes for macro and micro nutrients and polymorphic markers in Chickpea.

The present investigation was conducted to assess the nutritional diverseness and identify novel genetic resources to be utilized in chickpea breeding for macro and micro nutrients. The plants were grown in randomized block design. Nutritional and phytochemical properties of nine chickpea genotypes were estimated. The EST sequences from NCBI database were downloaded in FASTA format, clustered into contigs using CAP3, mined for novel SSRs using TROLL analysis and primer pairs were designed using Primer 3 software. Jaccard's similarity coefficients were used to compare the nutritional and molecular indexes followed by dendrograms construction employing UPGMA approach. The genotypes PUSA-1103, K-850, PUSA-1108, PUSA-1053 and the EST-SSR markers including the 5 newly designed namely ICCeM0012, ICCeM0049, ICCeM0067, ICCeM0070, ICCeM0078, SVP55, SVP95, SVP96, SVP146, and SVP217 were found as potential donor/marker resources for the macro-micro nutrients. The genotypes differed (p < 0.05) for nutritional properties. Amongst newly designed primers, 6 were found polymorphic with median PIC (0.46). The alleles per primer ranged 1 to 8. Cluster analysis based on nutritional and molecular diversities partially matched to each other in principle. The identified novel genetic resources may be used to widen the germplasm base, prepare maintainable catalogue and identify systematic blueprints for future chickpea breeding strategies targeting macro-micro nutrients.

Lodderomyces elongisporus fungemia in a patient with previous cardiac surgery: Case report and review of literature.

Lodderomyces elongisporus is a rare cause of invasive fungal infections. Most phenotypic tests that are routinely used for identification of yeasts fail to identify this organism. However, chromogenic media for yeasts, MALDI-TOF MS and DNA sequencing can be used for correct identification. We report a case of fungemia complicated by infective endocarditis and intracerebral bleeding in a pediatric patient with previous cardiac surgery.

Unclasping potentials of genomics and gene editing in chickpea to fight climate change and global hunger threat.

Genomics and genome editing promise enormous opportunities for crop improvement and elementary research. Precise modification in the specific targeted location of a genome has profited over the unplanned insertional events which are generally accomplished employing unadventurous means of genetic modifications. The advent of new genome editing procedures viz; zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), homing endonucleases, transcription activator like effector nucleases (TALENs), Base Editors (BEs), and Primer Editors (PEs) enable molecular scientists to modulate gene expressions or create novel genes with high precision and efficiency. However, all these techniques are exorbitant and tedious since their prerequisites are difficult processes that necessitate protein engineering. Contrary to first generation genome modifying methods, CRISPR/Cas9 is simple to construct, and clones can hypothetically target several locations in the genome with different guide RNAs. Following the model of the application in crop with the help of the CRISPR/Cas9 module, various customized Cas9 cassettes have been cast off to advance mark discrimination and diminish random cuts. The present study discusses the progression in genome editing apparatuses, and their applications in chickpea crop development, scientific limitations, and future perspectives for biofortifying cytokinin dehydrogenase, nitrate reductase, superoxide dismutase to induce drought resistance, heat tolerance and higher yield in chickpea to encounter global climate change, hunger and nutritional threats.

Omics approaches in effective selection and generation of potential plants for phytoremediation of heavy metal from contaminated resources.

Soil and water pollution, rapid industrialization, contaminated irrigation-water, increased waste-production and surge in agricultural land leads to the accumulation of Heavy Metals (HM) with time. HM contamination has raised concern over the past years and new remediation strategies are required to deal with it. HM-contaminated soil is often used for the production of food, which makes a gateway for toxic metals into the food-chain, thereby affecting food security and human health. To avoid HM-toxicity, decontamination of important resources is essential. Therefore, exploring phytoremediation for the removal, decomposition and detoxification of hazardous metals from HM-contaminated sites is of great significance. Hyper-accumulator plants can efficiently remove HMs. However, despite many hyper-accumulator plant species, there is a research gap in the studies of phytotechnology. Hence biotechnological efforts advocating omics studies i.e. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and phenomics are in order, the purpose being to select and enhance a plant's potential for the process of phytoremediation to be more effective. There is a need to study newly developed high-efficiency hyper-accumulator plants as HM-decontaminator candidates for phytoremediation and phytomining. Therefore, this review focuses on various strategies and bio-technological methods for the removal of HM contaminants from sites, with emphasis on the advancement of phytoremediation, along with applications in cleaning up various toxic pollutants.

A study on candiduria in neonates and infants from a tertiary care center, North India.

PURPOSE: Candida albicans is the major cause of fungal UTI in neonates and infants but nowadays non albicans Candida is also increasing and these are mostly multidrug resistant. So it's important to know the species of candidal UTI for the proper management. This study was undertaken to determine the Candida species distribution in UTI along with their susceptibility pattern and outcome in infants and neonates admitted in different wards and ICU of our hospital. We also assess the incidence rate of candiduria in ICUs. METHOD: Urine samples were collected from infants and neonates presented in pediatrics and neonatal ICU (intensive care units) and clinical wards with a clinical suspicion of candiduria and infants at risk of invasive candidiasis were also included in the study. Identification of Candida sp. was done by Gram's staining, germ tube test, chlamydospore formation on corn meal agar, color appearance on CHROM agar and also confirmed by MALDI-TOF Assay. Antifungal susceptibility was performed by using broth microdilution method as per the CLSI M27-A3/M27-S4. RESULT: Urine samples were received from 219 infants, and Candida was isolated from samples from 52 infants (isolation rate 23.75%), of which 30 were admitted in pediatric or neonatal ICU and 22 in the wards. The incidence rate of candiduria in ICU was 3.25%. Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species from the samples of infants in the wards (13/22 i.e. 59%), while Candida tropicalis was most frequently isolated from samples of infants in the ICUs (13/30 i.e. 43.34%). Candida glabrata was the least commonly isolated species and was only encopuntered in the ICU. There was no discrepancy between the results of conventional methods of identification and MALDI-TOF. Antifungal susceptibility was performed for 18 randomly selected isolates. All were found to be susceptible to caspofungin, micafungin, itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, amphotericin B. CONCLUSION: High suspicion of candiduria is needed especially in ICU admitted infants and identification of candida at species level along with the susceptibility pattern is important for the better management of patients.

Preclinical study models of psoriasis: State-of-the-art techniques for testing pharmaceutical products in animal and nonanimal models.

Local and systemic treatments exist for psoriasis, but none can do more than control its symptoms because of its numerous unknown mechanisms. The lack of validated testing models or a defined psoriatic phenotypic profile hinders antipsoriatic drug development. Despite their intricacy, immune-mediated diseases have no improved and precise treatment. The treatment actions may now be predicted for psoriasis and other chronic hyperproliferative skin illnesses using animal models. Their findings confirmed that a psoriasis animal model could mimic a few disease conditions. However, their ethical approval concerns and inability to resemble human psoriasis rightly offer to look for more alternatives. Hence, in this article, we have reported various cutting-edge techniques for the preclinical testing of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of psoriasis.

Global prevalence of gingival recession: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the global prevalence of gingival recession (GR) in the general population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Population-based observational studies reporting the prevalence of GR and published from 1991 to 2021 were identified from five electronic databases and manual searches. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. The pooled prevalence of GR was calculated by using a random-effect model. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to summarize the overall certainty of evidence. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies involving 37,460 participants were included. The overall pooled prevalence was 78.16% at the minimal reported threshold values and 84.92% at ≥1 mm "cut-off" with high heterogeneity among studies. A separate analysis for the buccal GR revealed a pooled prevalence of 75.42%. The risk of bias was found to be high for 10 and low for 5 studies. The overall certainty of the evidence was assessed to be very low. CONCLUSION: More than two-thirds of the population worldwide was found to be affected by GR. Studies with standard case definition and less heterogeneity are required to accurately estimate the prevalence of GR.