Character-based diagnostic keys, molecular identification and phylogenetic relationships of threadfin breams (family: Nemipteridae) based on mitochondrial genes from the Southern coromandel Coast, India.

DNA barcoding, primarily focusing on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene has been appraised as an effective tool for species identification. In this study, we focused on the marine fishes of Family Nemipteridae, one of the commercially important group distributed within the Coromandel Coast. The Partial sequences of COI and 16S rRNA of mitochondrial genes were analyzed for species identification and phylogenetic relationship of Nemipterus species (Nemipterus japonicus, Nemipterus peronii, Nemipterus bipunctatus, Nemipterus bathybius). Character-based identification approaches that categorize specimens to species using classification rules that compactly identify species in terms of key diagnostic nucleotides in selected gene sequences. Using the BLOG 2.0 software, species-specific diagnostic nucleotides were identified for the selected group of species. A data set of 198 mtCOI sequences was obtained from published resources and used to screen character-based molecular diagnostic keys for species in silico. Partial sequences of both the genes provided sufficient phylogenetic information to distinguish the four Nemipterus species indicating the usefulness of mtDNA-based approach in species identification. This study proves the use of mtDNA genes sequence-based approach is a support tool along with traditional taxonomy for identifying fish species at a faster pace.

Lectin Drug Conjugates Targeting High Mannose N-Glycans.

Cancer-associated alterations to glycosylation have been shown to aid cancer development and progression. An increased abundance of high mannose N-glycans has been observed in several cancers. Here, we describe the preparation of lectin drug conjugates (LDCs) that permit toxin delivery to cancer cells presenting high mannose N-glycans. Additionally, we demonstrate that cancer cells presenting low levels of high mannose N-glycans can be rendered sensitive to the LDCs by co-treatment with a type I mannosidase inhibitor. Our findings establish that an increased abundance of high mannose N-glycans in the glycocalyx of cancer cells can be leveraged to enable toxin delivery.

Probabilistic Mapping of Deep Brain Stimulation: Insights from 15 Years of Therapy.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) depends on precise delivery of electrical current to target tissues. However, the specific brain structures responsible for best outcome are still debated. We applied probabilistic stimulation mapping to a retrospective, multidisorder DBS dataset assembled over 15 years at our institution (ntotal = 482 patients; nParkinson disease = 303; ndystonia = 64; ntremor = 39; ntreatment-resistant depression/anorexia nervosa = 76) to identify the neuroanatomical substrates of optimal clinical response. Using high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging and activation volume modeling, probabilistic stimulation maps (PSMs) that delineated areas of above-mean and below-mean response for each patient cohort were generated and defined in terms of their relationships with surrounding anatomical structures. Our results show that overlap between PSMs and individual patients' activation volumes can serve as a guide to predict clinical outcomes, but that this is not the sole determinant of response. In the future, individualized models that incorporate advancements in mapping techniques with patient-specific clinical variables will likely contribute to the optimization of DBS target selection and improved outcomes for patients. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:426-443.

Ipsilateral and axial tremor response to focused ultrasound thalamotomy for essential tremor: clinical outcomes and probabilistic mapping.

BACKGROUND: MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for essential tremor (ET). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of MRgFUS in patients with ET with an emphasis on ipsilateral-hand and axial tremor subscores. METHODS: Tremor scores and adverse effects of 100 patients treated between 2012 and 2018 were assessed at 1 week, 3, 12, and 24 months. A subgroup analysis of ipsilateral-hand tremor responders (defined as patients with ≥30% improvement at any time point) and non-responders was performed. Correlations and predictive factors for improvement were analysed. Weighted probabilistic maps of improvement were generated. RESULTS: Significant improvement in axial, contralateral-hand and total tremor scores was observed at all study visits from baseline (p<0.0001). There was no significant improvement in ipsilateral subscores. A subset of patients (n=20) exhibited group-level ipsilateral-hand improvement that remained significant through all follow-ups (p<0.001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that higher baseline scores predict better improvement in ipsilateral-hand and axial tremor. Probabilistic maps demonstrated that the lesion hotspot for axial improvement was situated more medially than that for contralateral improvement. CONCLUSION: MRgFUS significantly improved axial, contralateral-hand and total tremor scores. In a subset of patients, a consistent group-level treatment effect was observed for ipsilateral-hand tremor. While ipsilateral improvement seemed to be less directly related to lesion location, a spatial relationship between lesion location and axial and contralateral improvement was observed that proved consistent with the somatotopic organisation of the ventral intermediate nucleus. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: NCT01932463, NCT01827904, and NCT02252380.

Infection with Decapod iridescent virus 1: an emerging disease in shrimp culture.

For the last 3 decades the shrimp industries has been plagued by many destructive diseases, which have resulted in severe production and economic losses to many aquaculture countries. These include viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases. Recently, another emerging viral disease is threatening the shrimp culture industry in Asia. The virus originally called Cherax quadricarinatus iridovirus (CQIV) or Shrimp hemocyte iridescent virus (SHIV) and now classified within the proposed genus Decapodiridovirus and formally named as Decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1) by International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The virus was first detected as early as 2014 from Cherax quadricarinatus samples in Fujian Province and farmed white leg shrimp Penaeus vannamei samples from Zhejiang Province. This review article encompasses the significance of the DIV1 and their implications for the future of the global aquaculture.

Development of AI classification model for angiosome-wise interpretive substantiation of plantar feet thermal asymmetry in type 2 diabetic subjects using infrared thermograms.

Diabetic Foot Syndrome (DFS) is the prime impetus for most of the lower extremity complications among the diabetic subjects. DFS is characterized by aberrant variations in plantar foot temperature distribution while healthy subjects exhibit a symmetric thermal pattern between the contralateral and ipsilateral plantar feet. Thus, "asymmetry analysis" of foot thermal distribution is contributory in assessment of overall foot health of diabetic subjects. The study, aims to classify symmetric and asymmetric foot regions angiosome-wise, by comparing minimal number of color image features - color moments and Dissimilarity Index. Further, the asymmetric foot regions are assessed for identifying the hotspots within such angiosomes of the patients that characterize the possibility of onset of diabetic foot ulcer. The color feature based machine learning model developed, achieved an accuracy of 98% for a 10-fold cross validation, test accuracy of 96.07% and 0.96 F1-score thereby convincing that the chosen features are amplest and conducive in the asymmetry analysis. The developed model was validated for generalization by testing on a public benchmark dataset, in which the model achieved 92.5% accuracy and 0.91 F1 score.

Functionalized High Mannose-Specific Lectins for the Discovery of Type†I Mannosidase Inhibitors.

An engineered cyanovirin-N homologue that exhibits specificity for high mannose N-glycans has been constructed to aid type I α 1,2-mannosidase inhibitor discovery and development. Engineering the lectins C-terminus permitted facile functionalization with fluorophores via a sortase and click strategy. The resulting lectin constructs exhibit specificity for cells presenting high mannose N-glycans. Importantly, these lectin constructs can also be applied to specifically assess changes in cell surface glycosylation induced by type I mannosidase inhibitors. Testing the utility of these lectin constructs led to the discovery of type I mannosidase inhibitors with nanomolar potency. Cumulatively, these findings reveal the specificity and utility of the functionalized cyanovirin-N homologue constructs, and highlight their potential in analytical contexts that require high mannose-specific lectins.

Instant Detection of Hydrogen Cyanide Gas and Cyanide Salts in Solid Matrices and Water by using CuII and NiII Complexes of Intramolecularly Hydrogen Bonded Zwitterions.

A series of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded zwitterionic compartmental ligands HL1-HL4, containing a pendent diamine arm that is monoprotonated and an aldehyde functionality at two different ortho-positions of a 4-halophenoxide, is reported herein. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) provides persuasive evidence for the identification of this class of proton-transferred zwitterions at room temperature. The solid-state photoluminescent nature of these zwitterions remains intact in aqueous and organic solutions. Grinding of HL1 and HL2 with Cu2+ /Ni2+ salts develop turn-on probes 1-4. Compounds 1 and 4 are dinuclear CuII and NiII species, respectively. Compound 2 is a tetranuclear CuII complex. Interestingly, compound 3 is a mononuclear NiII species in which both nitrogen atoms in the pendant diamine arm are protonated and, therefore, not coordinated to the NiII center. All these probes (1-4) display an instant response to the poison gas hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and cyanide salts present in both solid matrices and aqueous (100 % water) solution. Selective and rapid sensing of HCN gas and cyanide salts in solid/soil/water phases, without any interference, by the mechanosynthesized complexes 1-4 can be perceived easily by the naked eye under a hand-held UV lamp.

Effectiveness of symptom screening and incidence of tuberculosis among adults and children living with HIV infection in India.

BACKGROUND: WHO recommends the use of a simplified symptom-based algorithm for screening for tuberculosis (TB) among people living with HIV (PLHIV). We assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of this algorithm and determined the prevalence and incidence of TB among PLHIV attending antiretroviral treatment (ART) centres in India. METHODS: We did a prospective multicentric implementation research study in four states of India. To rule out TB, we administered the WHO symptom-screen algorithm to all PLHIV every month for 6 months. If they were found to be symptomatic any time during this period, they were referred for investigations for TB. A case of TB diagnosed during the first month of screening was taken as a prevalent case while those detected TB in the subsequent 5 months were considered cases of incident TB. We calculated the incidence rate using the person-years method. Results . Between May 2012 and October 2013, a total of 6099 adults and 1662 children living with HIV were screened for TB at the ART centres of four states. Of the 6099 adult PLHIV, 1815 (30%) had at least one symptom suggestive of TB, of whom only 634 (35%) were referred for investigations of TB. Of those referred, 97 (15%) PLHIV were diagnosed with TB. Overall, the prevalence of undiagnosed TB was 0.84 person-years and in the subsequent period, the incidence of TB was 2.4/100 person-years (95% CI 1.90-3.10). Among 1662 children, 434 (26%) had at least one symptom suggestive of TB. But only 57 (13%) children were referred for investigations of TB and 13 (23%) of them were diagnosed with TB. The prevalence of TB among children was 0.5% and its incidence among them was 2.7/100 person-years (95% CI 1.60-4.30). CONCLUSION: Prevalence and incidence of TB is high among PLHIV attending ART centres. This emphasizes the need to strengthen regular screening for symptoms of TB and further referral of those symptomatic for diagnosis of TB.

Cervical and lumbar paraspinal calcinosis in systemic sclerosis.

Calcinosis is a well-recognized manifestation of systemic sclerosis. Paraspinal or intraspinal calcinosis is rare, with reports of calcinosis involving the cervical, thoracic and lumbar separately, but not together. We now report a case of limited cutaneous scleroderma with extensive paraspinal calcinosis of the cervical and lumbar spine.

Copper(II)-Specific Fluorogenic Task-Specific Ionic Liquids as Selective Fluorescence Probes and Recyclable Extractants.

The designed synthesis of a series of copper(II) specific fluorogenic hydrophobic task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) from a new naphthalene-based tetradentate ligand is reported. Absorption and fluorescence spectral studies reveal both the ligand and its derivative TSILs show exclusive selectivity towards copper(II) ions. The Stern-Volmer method for calculation of the detection limit for ligand and TSIL1-3 shows values of 0.12, 20, 17, and 15 µM, respectively. Extraction and striping studies by doping these TSILs in [bmim][NTf2] demonstrated that these TSILs are recyclable extractants for the selective recovery of Cu(II) ions from a mixture of 14 relevant metal chloride aqueous solutions in biphasic liquid-liquid extraction with approximately 95% recovery.

Naked eye instant reversible sensing of Cu(2+) and its in situ imaging in live brine shrimp Artemia.

A Cu(2+)-specific colorimetric reversible fluorescent receptor was designed and synthesized which showed a naked eye observable colour change from colourless to pink on addition of an aqueous buffer (pH 7.4) solution of 30 ppb Cu(2+). Short response time (≤5 s) and low detection limit (nearly 3 ppb) make suitable as a reliable "dip-in" open eye sensor for Cu(2+). Bio-imaging application in live brine shrimp Artemia enabled to detect Cu(2+) at as low as 10 ppb exposure.

Disruption of functional organization within the primary motor cortex in children with autism.

Accumulating evidence suggests that motor impairments are prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), relate to the social and communicative deficits at the core of the diagnosis and may reflect abnormal connectivity within brain networks underlying motor control and learning. Parcellation of resting-state functional connectivity data using spectral clustering approaches has been shown to be an effective means of visualizing functional organization within the brain but has most commonly been applied to explorations of normal brain function. This article presents a parcellation of a key area of the motor network, the primary motor cortex (M1), a key area of the motor control network, in adults, typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD and introduces methods for selecting the number of parcels, matching parcels across groups and testing group differences. The parcellation is based solely on patterns of connectivity between individual M1 voxels and all voxels outside of M1, and within all groups, a gross dorsomedial to ventrolateral organization emerged within M1 which was left-right symmetric. Although this gross organizational scheme was present in both groups of children, statistically significant group differences in the size and segregation of M1 parcels within regions of the motor homunculus corresponding to the upper and lower limbs were observed. Qualitative comparison of the M1 parcellation for children with ASD with that of younger and older TD children suggests that these organizational differences, with a lack of differentiation between lower limb/trunk regions and upper limb/hand regions, may be due, at least in part, to a delay in functional specialization within the motor cortex.

Methotrexate in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review of its efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to evaluate the evidence for efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: A comprehensive, computerized search was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials registry to screen for studies that examined the efficacy of MTX in adult SLE patients. The Jadad scoring system was used to assess study quality, and data were pooled using the random effects model. RESULTS: Of the 53 articles that were identified, 44 were excluded. Nine studies (including three randomized controlled and six observational) were eligible for inclusion. All of the included studies predominantly involved patients with arthritis or mucocutaneous features. There was significant reduction of the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) among MTX-treated patients when compared with controls (p = 0.001, odds ratio (OR) 0.444, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.279 to 0.707). There was also significant reduction in the average dose of corticosteroids among MTX-treated patients when compared with controls (p = 0.001, OR 0.335, 95% CI 0.202 to 0.558). The effect of MTX on laboratory and serological markers, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anti-dsDNA and complement levels (C3 and C4), could not be determined because of the limited numbers of controlled trials. CONCLUSION: The use of MTX is associated with significant reductions in SLEDAI and the average dose of corticosteroids in adult patients with SLE.

Optogenetic-guided cortical plasticity after nerve injury.

Peripheral nerve injury causes sensory dysfunctions that are thought to be attributable to changes in neuronal activity occurring in somatosensory cortices both contralateral and ipsilateral to the injury. Recent studies suggest that distorted functional response observed in deprived primary somatosensory cortex (S1) may be the result of an increase in inhibitory interneuron activity and is mediated by the transcallosal pathway. The goal of this study was to develop a strategy to manipulate and control the transcallosal activity to facilitate appropriate plasticity by guiding the cortical reorganization in a rat model of sensory deprivation. Since transcallosal fibers originate mainly from excitatory pyramidal neurons somata situated in laminae III and V, the excitatory neurons in rat S1 were engineered to express halorhodopsin, a light-sensitive chloride pump that triggers neuronal hyperpolarization. Results from electrophysiology, optical imaging, and functional MRI measurements are concordant with that within the deprived S1, activity in response to intact forepaw electrical stimulation was significantly increased by concurrent illumination of halorhodopsin over the healthy S1. Optogenetic manipulations effectively decreased the adverse inhibition of deprived cortex and revealed the major contribution of the transcallosal projections, showing interhemispheric neuroplasticity and thus, setting a foundation to develop improved rehabilitation strategies to restore cortical functions.

A large normative connectome for exploring the tractographic correlates of focal brain interventions.

Diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) is a widely used neuroimaging modality that permits the in vivo exploration of white matter connections in the human brain. Normative structural connectomics - the application of large-scale, group-derived dMRI datasets to out-of-sample cohorts - have increasingly been leveraged to study the network correlates of focal brain interventions, insults, and other regions-of-interest (ROIs). Here, we provide a normative, whole-brain connectome in MNI space that enables researchers to interrogate fiber streamlines that are likely perturbed by given ROIs, even in the absence of subject-specific dMRI data. Assembled from multi-shell dMRI data of 985 healthy Human Connectome Project subjects using generalized Q-sampling imaging and multispectral normalization techniques, this connectome comprises ~12 million unique streamlines, the largest to date. It has already been utilized in at least 18 peer-reviewed publications, most frequently in the context of neuromodulatory interventions like deep brain stimulation and focused ultrasound. Now publicly available, this connectome will constitute a useful tool for understanding the wider impact of focal brain perturbations on white matter architecture going forward.

Oxazoline-based organocatalyst for enantioselective strecker reactions: a protocol for the synthesis of levamisole.

A chiral oxazoline-based organocatalyst has been found to efficiently catalyze asymmetric Strecker reactions of various aromatic and aliphatic N-benzhydrylimines with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) as a cyanide source at -20 °C to give α-aminonitriles in high yield (96 %) with excellent chiral induction (up to 98 % ee). DFT calculations have been performed to rationalize the enantioselective formation of the product with the organocatalyst in these reactions. The organocatalyst has been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, as well as by other analytical methods. This protocol has been extended to the synthesis of the pharmaceutically important drug molecule levamisole in high yield and with high enantioselectivity.

Motor "dexterity"?: Evidence that left hemisphere lateralization of motor circuit connectivity is associated with better motor performance in children.

Motor control relies on well-established motor circuits, which are critical for typical child development. Although many imaging studies have examined task activation during motor performance, none have examined the relationship between functional intrinsic connectivity and motor ability. The current study investigated the relationship between resting state functional connectivity within the motor network and motor performance assessment outside of the scanner in 40 typically developing right-handed children. Better motor performance correlated with greater left-lateralized (mean left hemisphere-mean right hemisphere) motor circuit connectivity. Speed, rhythmicity, and control of movements were associated with connectivity within different individual region pairs: faster speed was associated with more left-lateralized putamen-thalamus connectivity, less overflow with more left-lateralized supplementary motor-primary motor connectivity, and less dysrhythmia with more left-lateralized supplementary motor-anterior cerebellar connectivity. These findings suggest that for right-handed children, superior motor development depends on the establishment of left-hemisphere dominance in intrinsic motor network connectivity.

Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles Using Sargassum wightii Extract and Its Impact on Serum Biochemical Profile and Growth Response of Etroplus suratensis Juveniles.

The present study focuses on the green synthesis of iron nanoparticles using plant extracts as reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents. Aqueous seaweed extracts with the addition of iron solution were mixed using a magnetic stirrer which resulted in a color change indicating the formation of iron nanoparticles. The iron nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using Sargassum wightii extract. The synthesized iron nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and zeta potential techniques. The UV-Vis spectra showed a peak at 412 to 415 nm. Zeta potential revealed that the synthesized iron nanoparticles were negative and positive charges. FTIR spectroscopy analysis showed the presence of chemical bond and amide group likely to be responsible for the green synthesis of iron nanoparticles. The effect of nano-iron as a dietary iron source on the growth and serum biochemical profile of Etroplus suratensis fingerlings was evaluated. Iron nanoparticles were fed to E. suratensis fingerlings for 60 days with two levels 10 mg (T1) and 20 mg (T2) and a control group without iron nanoparticles. The highest WG% and SGR and lowest FCR were observed in the T2 group which is significantly different (p < 0.05) from other groups. The serum biochemical profile showed significantly increased activity on 20 mg/kg of nano-iron-supplemented diet. The findings of the present study concluded that supplementation of nano-iron at the 20 mg/kg level to the regular fish diet has a better impact not only on growth but also on the overall health of the fish.

Gene expression profiling and physiological adaptations of pearl spot (Etroplus suratensis) under varying salinity conditions.

Eutroplus suratensis (Pearl spot) is naturally found in estuarine environments and has been noted to have a high salinity tolerance. By examining the impact of various salinity levels on the growth and survival of pearl spot, the present study aims to enhance aquaculture profitability by assessing their adaptability and physiological adjustments to changes in salinity and determining their potential to acclimate to a broad range of salinity regimes. Results revealed no mortality in the control group (0 ppt), and in 15, 25 and 35 ppt treatment groups. However, the remaining groups (45, 60, and 75 ppt) showed differing levels of mortality with 44 % mortality observed in the 45 ppt group and 100 % mortality in both the 60 and 75 ppt groups. The expression analysis showed that liver IGF-1 mRNA expression increased by 2.6-fold at 15 ppt, and HSP70 mRNA expression in the liver also showed a significant increase with rising salinity levels. In addition, OSTF1 expression exhibited an increase at 15 ppt, whereas SOD and CAT expression reached their highest levels at 25 ppt. At 15 ppt, the expression of NKA mRNA increased significantly by 2.8-fold. The study's overall findings suggested that utilizing a salinity level of 15 ppt for pearl spot production could be viable for profitable aquaculture.