Emergence of imported cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major: a case series from Kerala, India.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is often considered a 'great imitator' and is the most common form of leishmaniasis. The Leishmania species responsible for CL varies among countries, as these species exhibit specific distribution patterns. The increased mobility of people across countries has resulted in the imported incidences of leishmaniasis caused by non-endemic species of Leishmania. During 2023, we confirmed three CL cases caused by L. major from Kerala, India, and upon detailed investigation, these were identified to be imported from the Middle East and Kazakhstan regions. This is the first report of CL caused by L. major from Kerala. The lesion morphology, detection of anti-rK 39 antibody and Leishmania parasite DNA from the blood samples were the unique observations of these cases. Kerala, being an emerging endemic zone of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and CL, the imported incidences of leishmaniasis by non-endemic species can pose a significant threat, potentially initiating new transmission cycles of leishmaniasis caused by non-endemic species.

Early Lung Ultrasound Scores in Neonates With Respiratory Distress - A Cross-Sectional Study From South India.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the lung ultrasound (LUS0) scores within 6 hours of birth in neonates with respiratory distress (RD) and assess its ability to predict the severity of RD. METHODS: This single-center cross-sectional study included all neonates admitted with RD during the study period for whom a LUS was performed within 6h of birth. LUS0 scoring was done by dividing the lung fields into 3 fields on either side and a score from 0 to 3 per field (maximum score 18). We excluded neonates with congenital heart disease, congenital anomalies of chest/lung, chromosomal anomalies and if the operator for LUS0 was not available. ROC curves were constructed for estimating the cut-off LUS0 score for the severity of RD in terms of the following six outcomes: fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) requirement >50% during first 3 days of life, need for invasive ventilation on day 3 of life, Silverman-Anderson score >7, surfactant requirement, radiological grades of RDS, and death. RESULTS: The median (IQR) LUS0 scores were significantly higher in neonates with greater severity of RD in terms of FiO2 requirement >50% during first 3 days of life [12.0, (5.0, 14.0)], need for invasive ventilation on day 3 of life [12.0 (7.5, 12.5)], Silverman-Anderson score ≥ 7 in preterm [9.5, (6.0, 12.0)], surfactant requirement [11.5, (4.0, 12.5)], radiological grades of RDS [10.0, (4.0, 12.0)], and death [12.0, (7.0, 15.0)]. In logistic regression analysis, with continuous LUS0 scores as covariates, the odds ratio significantly increased for every unit increase in LUS0 score. CONCLUSION: Early LUS0 scores can predict the prognosis and severity of neonatal RD.

Identification and molecular characterization of Culex flavivirus in Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae): first report from India.

BACKGROUND: Culex quinquefasciatus is a notorious vector known to transmit pathogens such as Wuchereria bancrofti (causing Lymphatic filariasis) and flaviviruses such as West Nile virus in India and St. Louis Encephalitis virus in the USA. It is the vector of the Rift Valley Fever virus, also on the African continent. Mosquitoes also harbor other non-pathogenic insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs), such as Culex flavivirus (CxFV) and Aedes flavivirus. Recent studies have implicated ISFs interfering with the vectorial efficiency of the pathogenic arbo-viruses. METHODS: One hundred specimens of the Cx. quinquefasciatus population in two urban areas in Kerala State, India, were screened to have an understanding of the prevalence of these flaviviruses in this vector species. Viral RNA was extracted from individual specimens and was subjected to RT-PCR towards amplification of the CxFV non-structural protein 5 (NS5) gene. RESULTS: Among the 100 specimens, 7.0% were found to be harboring CxFV infection. The phylogenetic analysis of the gene sequences showed that the virus isolates were genetically related to Kenya, with 98-99% sequence similarities. CONCLUSION: This is the first report on the occurrence of CxFV from Cx. quinquefasciatus from India. The occurrence of these viruses in mosquitoes could play a critical role in disease vector management.

Common mental disorders among women and its social correlates in an urban marginalized populace in South India.

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders (CMD) cause a range of health, social and economic burden, and disorders like depression and anxiety are more prevalent among women. Prevalence and factors contributing to increased vulnerability for CMDs have regional variation. Identification of factors contributing to the vulnerability is essential to both psychiatric epidemiology and in addressing mental health challenges in the community. METHODS: This cross-sectional study aimed at understanding the burden of CMD and its association with social determinants of mental health. Women hailing from urban slum attending the outpatient family care facility for their medical problems constituted the sample. Data was collected using a clinical research form with variables such as sociodemographic profile, health profile, and psychosocial profile. The questionnaire had specific questions on indicators of poverty, certain stressors, and support system. Presence of CMD was assessed using Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R), a standard tool for CMD research in primary care settings. A cut off score of 12 and above was considered for detecting CMD. Research ethical principles were adhered to and data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0. RESULTS: Among 172 women, 77 (44.8%) were diagnosed to have CMDs. Univariate analysis revealed a significant association between age, marital status, living arrangement, educational level, difficulty with buying food, presence of debt, chronic medical illness, husband's alcohol use, marital satisfaction, experiencing abuse, family support, religious participation, and a diagnosis of CMD. Multivariate analysis showed high burden with nuclear family arrangement, difficulty to buy food, experiencing abuse and, low burden with higher educational level, family support, and religious participation. CONCLUSION: Considering the high prevalence and the treatment gap of CMDs in primary setting, family-physician should be sensitized for detection and management of CMDs. Social interventions targeting poverty, women's education and empowerment, and support system are likely to decrease the burden of CMDs in this population.

Internet of things-based smart wearable system to monitor sports person health.

BACKGROUND: The modern Internet of Things (IoT) makes small devices that can sense, process, interact, connect devices, and other sensors ready to understand the environment. IoT technologies and intelligent health apps have multiplied. The main challenges in the sports environment are playing without injuries and healthily. OBJECTIVE: In this paper the Internet of Things-based Smart Wearable System (IoT-SWS) is introduced for monitoring sports person activity to improve sports person health and performance in a healthy way. METHOD: Wearable systems are commonly used to capture individual sports details on a real-time basis. Collecting data from wearable devices and IoT technologies can help organizations learn how to optimize in-game strategies, identify opponents' vulnerabilities, and make smarter draft choices and trading decisions for a sportsperson. RESULTS: The experimental result shows that IoT-SWS achieve the highest accuracy of 98.22% and efficient in predicting the sports person's health to improve sports person performance reliably.

Synthesis, characterization and synergistic activity of cerium-selenium nanobiocomposite of fungal l-asparaginase against lung cancer.

Cerium selenium nanobiocomposites are novel lung cancer drug as they possess combined anti-cancer property of nanocomposite with l-asparaginase working in synergetic manner. Cerium selenium nanobiocomposites were synthesized using simple co-precipitation method. The size of the nanocomposite was found to be in the range 60-90 nm. Maximum absorption was observed using UV spectrum in the range of 350-490 nm. The nanobiocomposites was characterized using H-NMR and FTIR analysis it was found that secondary alkyl, allylic carbon, monosubstituted alkenes and sp2 hybridized CH bonds of alkenes were involved in binding of cerium and selenium nanoparticles with l-asparaginase for the formation of cerium selenium nanobiocomposite. The spherical shape of the cerium selenium nanobiocomposites were confirmed using SEM. Anticancer activity was checked by performing MTT assay resulting in 70.84% and 48.78% toxicity for maximum concentration of 1000 (µg/ml) and IC50 concentration of 125 (µg/ml) respectively on A549 lung cancer cell line using fluorescent microscopic analysis.

Biodiesel production from castor oil using heterogeneous Ni doped ZnO nanocatalyst.

In the present study, castor oil with high free fatty acid was used for biodiesel production using heterogeneous Ni doped ZnO nanocatalyst. Ni doped ZnO nanocomposite calcinated at 800 °C has shown better catalytic activity. Process parameters on heterogeneous catalysis of castor oil into biodiesel were optimized using conventional and Response Surface Methodology (RSM). RSM was found more accurate in estimating the optimum conditions with higher biodiesel yield (95.20%). The optimum conditions for transesterification was found to be oil to methanol molar ratio of 1:8, catalyst loading 11% (w/w), reaction temperature of 55 °C for 60 min of reaction time by response surface method. The reusability studies showed that the nanocatalyst can be reused efficiently for 3 cycles.