Geographic inequalities and determinants of anaemia among preeclamptic women: a cross-sectional sample-based study in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Anaemia among preeclamptic (PE) women is a major undefined health issue in Bangladesh. This study explored the risk factors associated with anaemia and mapped the regional influences to understand the geographical inequalities. METHODS: Data from 180 respondents were prospectively collected from the Preeclampsia ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Bangladesh. Anaemia was defined as a blood haemoglobin level less than 11.0 g/dl. Preeclampsia was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg with proteinuria. Factors associated with anaemia were explored using the chi-square test. Logistic regression (LR) was done to determine the level of association with the risk factors. RESULTS: Among the participants, 28.9% were identified as having early onset and 71.1% reported late onset of PE. 38.9% of the subjects were non-anaemic, whereas mild, moderate, and severe anaemia was found among 38.3%, 17.8%, and 5% of patients respectively. The following factors were identified; including age range 25-34 (OR: 0.169, p < 0.05), a lower education level (OR: 3.106, p < 0.05), service-holder mothers (OR: 0.604, p < 0.05), pregnancy interval of less than 24 months (OR: 4.646, p < 0.05), and gestational diabetes mellitus (OR: 2.702, p < 0.05). Dhaka district (IR: 1.46), Narayanganj district (IR: 1.11), and Munshiganj district (IR: 0.96) had the highest incidence rates. CONCLUSION: Determinants of anaemia must be considered with importance. In the future, periodic follow-ups of anaemia should be scheduled with a health care program and prevent maternal fatality and fetus morbidity in patients with PE.

Biological evaluation of novel phosphorylated pullulan-based calcium hydroxide formulations as direct pulp capping materials: An in vivo study on a rat model.

AIM: Calcium hydroxide (CH) has been considered as a direct pulp capping materials (DPC) for the last decades despite having some limitations. Phosphorylate pullulan (PPL) incorporated with CH (CHPPL) is a novel biomaterial that was introduced as a promising DPC material. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the inflammatory response and mineralized tissue formation (MTF) ability of PPL-based CH formulations on rat molars after DPC. METHODOLOGY: This study consisted of six groups: CH with 1% PPL (CHPPL-1); 3% PPL (CHPPL-3); 5% PPL (CHPPL-5); Dycal and NEX MTA Cement (N-MTA) as the positive control, and no capping materials (NC). One hundred twenty maxillary first molar cavities were prepared on Wistar rats. After capping, all the cavities were restored with 4-META/MMA-TBB resin and pulpal responses were evaluated at days 1, 7, and 28. Kruskal-Wallis followed by Mann-Whitney U-test was performed with a significance level of 0.05. Immunohistochemical expression of IL-6, Nestin, and DMP-1 was observed. RESULTS: At day 1, CHPPL-1, N-MTA, and Dycal exhibited no to mild inflammation, whilst CHPPL-3, CHPPL-5, and NC showed mild to moderate inflammation, and the results were significantly different (p < .05). At day 7, mild to moderate inflammation was observed in CHPPL-1, N-MTA, and Dycal, whereas CHPPL-3, CHPPL-5, and NC exhibited moderate to severe inflammation. Significant differences were observed between CHPPL-1 and N-MTA with NC (p < .05), CHPPL-1 and CHPPL-3 with CHPPL-5 and Dycal (p < .05), and CHPPL-3 with N-MTA (p < .05). A thin layer of mineralized tissue formation (MTF) was observed in all groups. At day 28, CHPPL-1, Dycal, and N-MTA showed no to mild inflammation, whilst CHPPL-3, CHPPL-5, and NC exhibited mild to severe inflammation, and statistically significant difference was detected (p < .05). CHPPL-1, Dycal, and N-MTA exhibited continuous MTF, whilst CHPPL-3, CHPPL-5, and NC had thicker and interrupted MTF. Significant differences were observed between CHPPL-1, CHPPL-3, and N-MTA with NC group (p < .05). Variable expressions of IL-6, Nestin, and DMP-1 indicated differences in the materials' impact on odontoblast-like cell formation and tissue mineralization. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CHPPL-1 has the potential to minimize pulpal inflammation and promote MTF and had similar efficacy as MTA cement.

Androgen receptor gene deficiency results in the reduction of steroidogenic potential in porcine luteal cells.

Luteal steroidogenesis is critical to implantation and pregnancy maintenance in mammals. The role of androgen receptors (AR) in the progesterone (P4) producing luteal cells of porcine corpus luteum (CL) remains unexplored. The aim of the present study was to establish AR gene knock out (KO) porcine luteal cell culture system model by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology and to study the downstream effects of AR gene deficiency on steroidogenic potential and viability of luteal cells. For this purpose, genomic cleavage detection assay, microscopy, RT-qPCR, ELISA, annexin, MTT, and viability assay complemented by bioinformatics analysis were employed. There was significant downregulation (p < 0.05) in the relative mRNA expression of steroidogenic marker genes STAR, CYP11A1, HSD3B1 in AR KO luteal cells as compared to the control group, which was further validated by the significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the P4 production. Significant decrease (p < 0.05) in relative viability on third passage were also observed. The relative mRNA expression of hypoxia related gene HIF1A was significantly (p < 0.05) downregulated in AR KO luteal cells. Protein-protein interaction analysis mapped AR to signaling pathways associated with luteal cell functionality. These findings suggests that AR gene functionality is critical to luteal cell steroidogenesis in porcine.

Enhancing IoT Security: An Innovative Key Management System for Lightweight Block Ciphers.

This research paper presents a study on designing and implementing a robust key management scheme for lightweight block ciphers in Internet of Things (IoT) networks. Key management is a critical concern for IoT devices due to their limited resources and susceptibility to security threats. The proposed scheme utilises partial key pre-distribution to achieve lightweight and secure key management. The protocol's security has been analysed against various attacks, demonstrating its resistance. Performance evaluation results indicate that the proposed key management technique is suitable for resource-constraint IoT networks, as it reduces communication overhead, power consumption, and storage space requirements. The methodology employed in this research includes designing and implementing the proposed key management scheme and conducting scenario-based analyses of its functionality. The results affirm that the proposed solution effectively ensures secure communication in IoT networks. Overall, this research contributes to developing a secure and efficient key management scheme for lightweight block ciphers in IoT networks.

Dental Caries Prevention Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice among Patients at a University Hospital in Guangzhou, China.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) of patients regarding dental caries prevention in a university hospital in Guangzhou, China. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based KAP survey was conducted in a cross-sectional manner at the First Affiliated Hospital in Guangzhou, China, from 1 September to 30 September 2022. Questionnaires were distributed to eligible patients, resulting in the participation of 251 individuals. The questionnaire consisted of five sections capturing socio-demographic data and exploring participants' knowledge, attitudes, practice, and accurate preventive dental caries knowledge. Descriptive statistics and a generalized linear model with univariate tests were used for analysis. Results: The study results show that the knowledge score 7.97 (±0.91) and attitudes score 7.67 (±0.89) among the participants were good while the practice score was 6.80 (±0.81) moderate. The majority of participants identified tooth infections (81.3%), bacteria (92%), and sugar (89.2%) as the main causes of gum bleeding and tooth decay. Brushing (96%) and fluoride (80.5%) were also recognized as essential for preventing tooth decay. Of oral diseases, 94% were recognized as potentially affecting overall health. The vast majority ranging from 92.8% to 98%, believed that oral health is crucial to overall health and that regular check-ups and proper brushing habits are beneficial. There is a significant association of gender with age (p = 0.018), occupation (p = 0.050), lifestyle habit (p = 0.012), and knowledge score; whole education is significantly associated with practice score (p = 0.050). Conclusions: The majority of patients exhibited accurate knowledge and attitudes with moderate practice towards dental caries prevention, with socio-demographic factors playing a major role. However, effective implementation of dental health education programs across the healthcare system is still required to further enhance outcomes.

Histological evaluation of a novel phosphorylated pullulan-based pulp capping material: An in vivo study on rat molars.

AIM: To evaluate the dental pulp response to a novel mineral trioxide aggregate containing phosphorylated pullulan (MTAPPL) in rats after direct pulp capping. METHODS: Ninety-six cavities were prepared in the maxillary first molars of 56 male Wistar rats. The dental pulps were intentionally exposed and randomly divided into four groups according to the application of pulp capping materials: MTAPPL; phosphorylated pullulan (PPL); a conventional MTA (Nex-Cem MTA, NCMTA; positive control); and Super-Bond (SB; negative control). All cavities were restored with SB and observed for pulpal responses at 1-, 3-, 7- and 28-day intervals using a histological scoring system. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-test with Bonferroni's correction, and the level of significance was set at 0.05. DMP1 and CD34 antigen were used to evaluate odontoblast differentiation and pulpal vascularization, respectively. RESULTS: On day 1, mild inflammatory cells were present in MTAPPL and NCMTA groups; fewer inflammatory cells were present in the PPL, whereas SB was associated with a mild-to-moderate inflammatory response. A significant difference was observed between PPL and SB (p < .05). No mineralized tissue deposition was observed. On day 3, moderate-to-severe inflammatory cells were present in PPL and SB, whereas MTAPPL and NCMTA had a mild inflammatory response. Initial mineralized tissue deposition was observed in the NCMTA, MTAPPL and SB. A significant difference was observed between MTAPPL and PPL (p < .05). On day 7, a thin layer of mineralized tissue was observed in all tested groups with no or mild inflammatory response. On day 28, no inflammatory response was observed in MTAPPL, whereas NCMTA, PPL and SB had mild inflammatory responses. A significant difference was observed between MTAPPL and SB (p < .05). Complete mineralized tissue barrier formation was observed in MTAPPL, NCMTA and PPL with no significant difference (p > .05). SB exhibited incomplete mineralized tissue barriers, significantly different from NCMTA, MTAPPL and PPL (p < .05). The staining with CD34 was positive in all the groups on all observation days. CONCLUSION: The favourable pulpal responses and induction of mineralized tissue formation associated with MTAPPL indicate its potential application as a direct pulp capping material.

Evaluation of shade matching of a novel supra-nano filled esthetic resin composite employing structural color using simplified simulated clinical cavities.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the shade matching ability of a novel supra-nano filled esthetic resin composite employing structural color technology using simplified simulated clinical cavities. Filler morphology and light transmittance characteristics were also evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred and twenty frames of resin composite were built in A1, A2, A3, and A4 shades to simulate Class I cavities (diameter = 4 mm, height = 2 mm). For each shaded frame, cavities were filled with three different types of filler containing resin composites (n = 10): supra-nano filled (SN filled) resin composite, microhybrid filled (MH filled) resin composite, and clustered-nano filled (CN filled) resin composite. Color parameters were calculated using CIELAB (△Eab ) and CIEDE2000 (△E00 ). Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Duncan's test (α = .05). Filler morphology and light transmittance characteristics were measured to explore the role of structural color on shade matching. RESULTS: △Eab and △E00 of SN filled resin composite were significantly lower in A2, A3, and A4 shades (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The SN filled resin composite showed better shade matching with A2, A3, and A4 shades of resin composite frames compared to MH filled resin composite, and CN filled resin composite. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Universal-shade resin composites, which were expected to match nearly all shades, simplify the restorative procedure. Resin composite, which contained spherical supra-nano filler particles, could contribute most to its shade matching by stimulating structural color. Structural color technology may provide additional benefits for shade matching of resin composites.

Variable Smear Layer and Adhesive Application: The Pursuit of Clinical Relevance in Bond Strength Testing.

The removal or modification of smear layers that cover the dentin is critical to allow the penetration of adhesive molecules and to ensure a strong bond between resin and dentin. Aiming to establish a model for clinically-relevant dentin-bond testing, we evaluated the effects of smear layers created by abrasives having similar coarseness (180-grit SiC paper; fine-grit diamond bur) and application modes (single application; double application) on the microtensile bond strengths (µTBS) of two currently available universal adhesives (G-Premio Bond; Scotchbond Universal Adhesive) and a two-step self-etch adhesive (Clearfil Megabond 2). Sixty extracted human third molars were used for the µTBS test. Data were analyzed by three-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α = 0.05). Fracture modes were determined using stereomicroscopy. An additional 24 third molars were prepared for observation of the resin-dentin interface by TEM and adhesive-smear layer interaction by SEM. µTBS was significantly affected by the adhesives and their application modes (p < 0.001), implying that the double application of universal adhesives should be recommended to improve their performance. The effect of smear layers was not significant (p > 0.05), indicating that 180-grit SiC papers could be used to prepare dentin as a substitute for fine-grit diamond burs for dentin-bond testing in laboratory settings.

Characteristics of three-dimensional prospectively isolated mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cell aggregates on nanoculture plates.

Three-dimensional (3-D) aggregate culturing is useful for investigating the functional properties of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). For 3-D MSC analysis, however, pre-expansion of MSCs with two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer culturing must first be performed, which might abolish their endogenous properties. To avoid the need for 2-D expansion, we used prospectively isolated mouse bone marrow (BM)-MSCs and examined the differences in the biological properties of 2-D and 3-D MSC cultures. The BM-MSCs self-assembled into aggregates on nanoculture plates (NCP) that have nanoimprinted patterns with a low-cellular binding texture. The 3-D MSCs proliferated at the same rate as 2-D-cultured cells by only diffusion culture and secreted higher levels of pro-angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Conditioned medium from 3-D MSC cultures promoted more capillary formation than that of 2-D MSCs in an in vitro tube formation assay. Matrigel-implanted 3-D MSC aggregates tended to induce angiogenesis in host mice. The 3-D culturing on NCP induced alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression in MSCs without the application of AFP- or endodermal-inducible factors, possibly via an HGF-autocrine mechanism, and maintained their differentiation ability for adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Prospectively isolated mouse BM-MSCs expressed low/negative stemness-related genes including Oct3/4, Nanog, and Sox2, which were not enhanced by NCP-based 3-D culturing, suggesting that some of these cells differentiate into meso-endodermal layer cells. Culturing of prospectively isolated MSCs on NCP in 3-D allows the analysis of the biological properties of more closely endogenous BM-MSCs and might contribute to tissue engineering and repair.

Thermo-therapeutic applications of chitosan- and PEG-coated NiFe2O4 nanoparticles.

The paper reports the thermo-therapeutic applications of chitosan- and PEG-coated nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles. In this study NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method, tuning the particle size through heat treatment in the temperature range from 200-800 °C for 3 h. XRD and TEM analysis revealed that the the ultrafine nanoparticles were of size 2-58 nm. Crystallinity of the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles in the as-dried condition with the particle size ∼2-3 nm was confirmed from the presence of a lattice fringe in the HRTEM image. VSM measurements showed that a superparamagnetic/ferromagnetic transition occurs with increasing particle size, which was further confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The nickel ferrite nanoparticles with optimum particle size of 10 nm were then coated with materials commonly used for biomedical applications, i.e. chitosan and PEG, to form homogeneous suspensions. The hydrodynamic diameter and the polydispersity index (PDI) were analyzed by dynamic light scattering at the physiological temperature of 37 °C and found to be 187 nm and 0.21 for chitosan-coated nanoparticles and 285 nm and 0.32 for PEG-coated ones. The specific loss power of rf induction heating by the set-up for hyperthermia and r 2 relaxivity by the nuclear magnetic resonance were determined. The results of induction heating measurements showed that the temperature attained by the nanoparticles of size 10 nm and concentration of about 20 mg ml(-1) was >70 °C (for chitosan) and >64 °C (for PEG). It has been demonstrated that the required temperature for hyperthermia heating could be tuned by tuning the particle size, shape and magnetization and the concentration of solution. For other potential biomedical applications of the NiFe2O4 nanoparticle solution, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging, the NMR studies yielded the T 1 and T 2 relaxivities as 0.348 and 89 mM(-1) s(-1) respectively. The fact that the T 2 relaxivity is orders of magnitude higher than T 1 indicates that this is suitable as a T 2 contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging.

Assessment of knowledge regarding tuberculosis among non-medical university students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of human death and TB is one of the major public health problems in Bangladesh. The aim of the present study was to assess the Knowledge about TB among non-medical university students in Bangladesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed on 839 non-medical university students. Data were collected from University of Rajshahi from March to August 2013 using a standard semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was utilized to find the factors which are associated with students' knowledge about TB. RESULTS: Among 839 students, male and female were 68.2 % and 31.8 % respectively. Most of the students (94.4 %) were informed about the term TB, among them 50 % got information from electronic media. More than 50 % students believed that TB is a communicable disease, 42.8 % students agreed that bacteria is an agent for TB, most of the subjects (93 %) had the knowledge about the vaccination against TB and 97.6 % students believed that TB is curable. However, students had poor knowledge about latent TB (13.7 %) and DOTs program (28.5 %). χ (2)-test demonstrated that gender, residence, type of family and parents education were associated with students' knowledge of TB. CONCLUSION: In the present study demonstrated that the level of general knowledge about TB was insufficient among non-medical university students. Consequently, health education program is needed to improve the knowledge among university students regarding TB.

Health checkup and telemedical intervention program for preventive medicine in developing countries: verification study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of non-communicable diseases is increasing throughout the world, including developing countries. OBJECTIVE: The intent was to conduct a study of a preventive medical service in a developing country, combining eHealth checkups and teleconsultation as well as assess stratification rules and the short-term effects of intervention. METHODS: We developed an eHealth system that comprises a set of sensor devices in an attaché case, a data transmission system linked to a mobile network, and a data management application. We provided eHealth checkups for the populations of five villages and the employees of five factories/offices in Bangladesh. Individual health condition was automatically categorized into four grades based on international diagnostic standards: green (healthy), yellow (caution), orange (affected), and red (emergent). We provided teleconsultation for orange- and red-grade subjects and we provided teleprescription for these subjects as required. RESULTS: The first checkup was provided to 16,741 subjects. After one year, 2361 subjects participated in the second checkup and the systolic blood pressure of these subjects was significantly decreased from an average of 121 mmHg to an average of 116 mmHg (P<.001). Based on these results, we propose a cost-effective method using a machine learning technique (random forest method) using the medical interview, subject profiles, and checkup results as predictor to avoid costly measurements of blood sugar, to ensure sustainability of the program in developing countries. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate the benefits of an eHealth checkup and teleconsultation program as an effective health care system in developing countries.

Design and synthesis of phenolic hydrazide hydrazones as potent poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) inhibitors.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) are enzymes responsible for catalyzing the formation and degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymers, respectively. Activation of PARP has been shown to be involved in cell death induced by genotoxic stimuli. On the other hand, genetic disruption of PARG also leads to increased level of cell death by accumulation of PAR. Unlike PARP, where significant medicinal effort has been expended to identify potent inhibitors, PARG has been insufficiently investigated as a molecular therapeutic target. In this study, we report the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of phenolic hydrazide hydrazones as potent PARG inhibitors. Compounds 3d, 3e, 5d, 5e, 8a, 8b and 8c showed their ability to inhibit the catalytic activity of PARG in vitro with IC50 values of 1.0, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.1, 2.8 and 1.6 µM, respectively.

Knowledge and awareness about STDs among women in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge and awareness concerning sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has become the burning issue of the day. Although STDs pose serious risks to health security, there is very little literature quantifying the knowledge and awareness of these diseases and their principal socioeconomic determinants. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of different socio-economic and demographic factors on knowledge and awareness about STDs among women in Bangladesh. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. It involves 10,996 women in six divisions of Bangladesh - Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna and Sylhet. In this study, the percentage distribution and logistic regression model are used to identify which factors are associated with knowledge and awareness among women in Bangladesh about STDs. RESULTS: There is a significant association between geographic division (Dhaka: OR = 1.669, 95% CI = 0.89-2.10, Khulna: OR = 2.234, 95% CI = 1.2-3.2); places of residence (Rural: OR = 0.363, 95% CI = 0.20-1.08), respondent's age (20-29 years: OR = 1.331; 95% CI = 0.98-2.31); education (Primary: OR = 2.366, 95% CI = 1.98-3.1, secondary: OR = 10.089, 95% CI = 8.98-12.77, higher: OR = 20.241, 95% CI = 18.33-22.65); listening to radio (OR = 1.189, 95% CI = 1.29-3.12) and watching TV (OR = 2.498, 95% CI = 2.22-4.09) with knowledge and awareness among women in Bangladesh about STDs. CONCLUSION: There is a need to improve the education in Bangladesh about STDs particularly among those in the rural areas and older ages of women (30-49 years). Formal, informal and special educational knowledge and awareness programmes may be implemented to educate people concerning STDs in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Chittangong division. Campaigns and mass media can be used to increase the knowledge and awareness among the community, especially among women. Policies concerning the issue of STDs need to be improved and can be emphasized in collaboration with government agencies to ensure the success of these campaigns.

ContourTL-Net: Contour-Based Transfer Learning Algorithm for Early-Stage Brain Tumor Detection.

Brain tumors are critical neurological ailments caused by uncontrolled cell growth in the brain or skull, often leading to death. An increasing patient longevity rate requires prompt detection; however, the complexities of brain tissue make early diagnosis challenging. Hence, automated tools are necessary to aid healthcare professionals. This study is particularly aimed at improving the efficacy of computerized brain tumor detection in a clinical setting through a deep learning model. Hence, a novel thresholding-based MRI image segmentation approach with a transfer learning model based on contour (ContourTL-Net) is suggested to facilitate the clinical detection of brain malignancies at an initial phase. The model utilizes contour-based analysis, which is critical for object detection, precise segmentation, and capturing subtle variations in tumor morphology. The model employs a VGG-16 architecture priorly trained on the "ImageNet" collection for feature extraction and categorization. The model is designed to utilize its ten nontrainable and three trainable convolutional layers and three dropout layers. The proposed ContourTL-Net model is evaluated on two benchmark datasets in four ways, among which an unseen case is considered as the clinical aspect. Validating a deep learning model on unseen data is crucial to determine the model's generalization capability, domain adaptation, robustness, and real-world applicability. Here, the presented model's outcomes demonstrate a highly accurate classification of the unseen data, achieving a perfect sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%, 98.60% specificity, 99.12% precision, 99.56% F1-score, and 99.46% accuracy. Additionally, the outcomes of the suggested model are compared with state-of-the-art methodologies to further enhance its effectiveness. The proposed solution outperforms the existing solutions in both seen and unseen data, with the potential to significantly improve brain tumor detection efficiency and accuracy, leading to earlier diagnoses and improved patient outcomes.

Prostate Cancer Detection from MRI Using Efficient Feature Extraction with Transfer Learning.

Prostate cancer is a common cancer with significant implications for global health. Prompt and precise identification is crucial for efficient treatment strategizing and enhanced patient results. This research study investigates the utilization of machine learning techniques to diagnose prostate cancer. It emphasizes utilizing deep learning models, namely VGG16, VGG19, ResNet50, and ResNet50V2, to extract relevant features. The random forest approach then uses these features for classification. The study begins by doing a thorough comparison examination of the deep learning architectures outlined above to evaluate their effectiveness in extracting significant characteristics from prostate cancer imaging data. Key metrics such as sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy are used to assess the models' efficacy. With an accuracy of 99.64%, ResNet50 outperformed other tested models when it came to identifying important features in images of prostate cancer. Furthermore, the analysis of understanding factors aims to offer valuable insights into the decision-making process, thereby addressing a critical problem for clinical practice acceptance. The random forest classifier, a powerful ensemble learning method renowned for its adaptability and ability to handle intricate datasets, then uses the collected characteristics as input. The random forest model seeks to identify patterns in the feature space and produce precise predictions on the presence or absence of prostate cancer. In addition, the study tackles the restricted availability of datasets by utilizing transfer learning methods to refine the deep learning models using a small amount of annotated prostate cancer data. The objective of this method is to improve the ability of the models to generalize across different patient populations and clinical situations. This study's results are useful because they show how well VGG16, VGG19, ResNet50, and ResNet50V2 work for extracting features in the field of diagnosing prostate cancer, when used with random forest's classification abilities. The results of this work provide a basis for creating reliable and easily understandable machine learning-based diagnostic tools for detecting prostate cancer. This will enhance the possibility of an early and precise diagnosis in clinical settings such as index terms deep learning, machine learning, prostate cancer, cancer identification, and cancer classification.

Biostimulatory effects of boar seminal gel, saliva and semen on sexual behavior of young boars, gilts and sows.

The present study aimed to identify novel biostimulatory compounds in boar seminal gel (SG), saliva and semen using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The bio-stimulatory effect of SG, SG + saliva and SG + semen on young boar for semen collection as well were employed to study bio-stimulatory effects on gilts and sows. Distilled water (DW) exposure was kept as control. SG, saliva and semen were screened for total 105, 96 and 89 compounds. The highest concentration was of alkanes followed by sugar alcohols, then hydrocarbons, amino acids and fatty acids. Elaidic acid was the novel compound identified in pigs. Significantly higher (p < 0.05) number of males got trained in exposure to SG (80%), SG + saliva (75%) and SG + semen (75%) than control (0%). The time (hrs) taken by young boars to get trained on exposure to combination of SG + saliva (244 ± 22.19) and SG + semen (216 ± 13.14) was lesser (p < 0.05) than SG (356 ± 61.85) alone. Interval (hrs) from initiation of exposure for exhibition of different sexual behaviour by males on exposure to SG, saliva and semen was lesser (p < 0.05) than control. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher number of females showed estrus response to exposure of SG (72.72%), SG + saliva (69.23%) and SG + semen (76.92%) than control (0). Interval (hrs) taken to exhibit estrus was shorter (p < 0.05) in females exposed to SG + saliva (201.88 ± 12.66), SG + semen (198.20 ± 9.42) than SG (262.14 ± 20.06) alone. Interval (hrs) for exhibition of different sexual behaviour by females on exposure to SG + saliva and SG + semen was lesser (p < 0.05) than control. In conclusion, novel compounds were identified in boar seminal gel, saliva and semen with biostimulatory properties have been identified in boar SG, saliva and semen. The combined exposure of SG with saliva and semen has more intense biostimulation effect than SG alone for training of young boars and estrus induction in gilts and sows. Such compounds biostimulatory effects can be exploited for augmenting reproductive efficiency in pigs.

Performance Evaluation of the Commonly-Used Portable Cholesterol Sensors for Telehealth Services in the Unreached Communities.

Portable medical sensors play an important role in healthcare services, especially in rural communities. Many telehealth systems use these devices for providing patients' vital information from a distance to remote doctors. Erroneous data will not only mislead the remote doctor for correct diagnosis but it will cause health threats to these unreached community people. Therefore, it is very important to identify good sensors with an acceptable level of accuracy but within the affordable price of the available sensors in the market. This study aims to identify quality portable cholesterol sensors with high accuracy with the reference of the Japanese clinical pathology laboratory as a gold standard. We have considered cholesterol sensors that measure total cholesterol for this study that are commonly used in the developing countries of Asia. We found that out of four, three of them were very much erroneous and cannot be recommended even for primary healthcare.

Neoantigen-specific stimulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes enables effective TCR isolation and expansion while preserving stem-like memory phenotypes.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) targeting neoantigens can effectively treat a selected set of metastatic solid cancers. However, harnessing TILs for cancer treatments remains challenging because neoantigen-reactive T cells are often rare and exhausted, and ex vivo expansion can further reduce their frequencies. This complicates the identification of neoantigen-reactive T-cell receptors (TCRs) and the development of TIL products with high reactivity for patient treatment. METHODS: We tested whether TILs could be in vitro stimulated against neoantigens to achieve selective expansion of neoantigen-reactive TILs. Given their prevalence, mutant p53 or RAS were studied as models of human neoantigens. An in vitro stimulation method, termed "NeoExpand", was developed to provide neoantigen-specific stimulation to TILs. 25 consecutive patient TILs from tumors harboring p53 or RAS mutations were subjected to NeoExpand. RESULTS: We show that neoantigenic stimulation achieved selective expansion of neoantigen-reactive TILs and broadened the neoantigen-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ TIL clonal repertoire. This allowed the effective isolation of novel neoantigen-reactive TCRs. Out of the 25 consecutive TIL samples, neoantigenic stimulation enabled the identification of 16 unique reactivities and 42 TCRs, while conventional TIL expansion identified 9 reactivities and 14 TCRs. Single-cell transcriptome analysis revealed that neoantigenic stimulation increased neoantigen-reactive TILs with stem-like memory phenotypes expressing IL-7R, CD62L, and KLF2. Furthermore, neoantigenic stimulation improved the in vivo antitumor efficacy of TILs relative to the conventional OKT3-induced rapid TIL expansion in p53-mutated or KRAS-mutated xenograft mouse models. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, neoantigenic stimulation of TILs selectively expands neoantigen-reactive TILs by frequencies and by their clonal repertoire. NeoExpand led to improved phenotypes and functions of neoantigen-reactive TILs. Our data warrant its clinical evaluation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00068003, NCT01174121, and NCT03412877.

Efficacy of clove and tulsi supplementation in drinking water in broiler immunity.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants or their products are popular substitutes for antibiotics or other synthetic growth promoters for their beneficial effects and cost-effectiveness. Clove (Cv) and tulsi (Ts) are rich in phytochemicals and are used to augment the growth performance of poultry. OBJECTIVES: The current investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of Cv and Ts supplementation in drinking water on the morphologic and morphometric adaptations in the lymphoid organs. METHODS: The experiment was conducted on 60 broiler chicks, divided into 4 homogenous groups (5 pens/group and 3 broilers/pen) named T0 (control), T1 (0.5% Cv and 2% Ts), T2 (1% Cv and 3% Ts) and T3 (1.5% Cv and 4% Ts). The treatments were administered from days 8 to 28. Lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen and bursa of Fabricius) were collected on days 14, 21 and 28 after sacrificing five broilers from each group. RESULTS: The treatment groups had higher thymus and spleen weights on day 21, whereas the weights of the bursa of Fabricius were higher on days 14, 21 and 28. In the histomorphologic study, no noticeable difference in the histoarchitectures of the lymphoid organs was noticed. However, substantial differences in the cortico-medullary ratio and the number of follicles in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius, respectively, were found in the histomorphometric investigation. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of Cv and Ts in drinking water augments the weight of lymphoid organs with histomorphometric adaptations that might improve the immune status in broilers.