Horse Herd Optimization with Gate Recurrent Unit for an Automatic Classification of Different Facial Skin Disease.

The human body's largest organ is the skin which covers the entire body. The facial skin is one area of the body that needs careful handling. It can cause several facial skin diseases like acne, eczema, moles, melanoma, rosacea, and many other fungal infections. Diagnosing these diseases has been difficult due to challenges like the high cost of medical equipment and the lack of medical competence. However, various existing systems are utilized to detect the type of facial skin disease, but those approaches are time-consuming and inaccurate to detect the disease at early stages. To address various issues, a deep learning-based gate recurrent unit (GRU) has been developed. Non-linear diffusion is used to acquire and pre-process raw pictures, adaptive histogram equalization (AHE) and high boost filtering (HBF). The image noise is removed by using non-linear diffusion. The contrast of the image is maximized using AHE. The image's edges are sharpened by using HBF. After pre-processing, textural and colour features are extracted by applying a grey level run-length matrix (GLRM) and chromatic co-occurrence local binary pattern (CCoLBP). Then, appropriate features are selected using horse herd optimization (HOA). Finally, selected features are classified using GRU to identify the types of facial skin disease. The proposed model is investigated using the Kaggle database that consists of different face skin disease images such as rosacea, eczema, basal cell carcinoma, acnitic keratosis, and acne. Further, the acquired dataset is split into training and testing. Considering the investigation's findings, the proposed method yields 98.2% accuracy, 1.8% error, 97.1% precision, and 95.5% f1-score. In comparison to other current techniques, the proposed technique performs better. The created model is, therefore, the best choice for classifying the various facial skin conditions.

Aortic Cellular Heterogeneity in Health and Disease: Novel Insights Into Aortic Diseases From Single-Cell RNA Transcriptomic Data Sets.

Aortic diseases such as atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysms, and aortic stiffening are significant complications that can have significant impact on end-stage cardiovascular disease. With limited pharmacological therapeutic strategies that target the structural changes in the aorta, surgical intervention remains the only option for some patients with these diseases. Although there have been significant contributions to our understanding of the cellular architecture of the diseased aorta, particularly in the context of atherosclerosis, furthering our insight into the cellular drivers of disease is required. The major cell types of the aorta are well defined; however, the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing provides unrivaled insights into the cellular heterogeneity of each aortic cell type and the inferred biological processes associated with each cell in health and disease. This review discusses previous concepts that have now been enhanced with recent advances made by single-cell RNA sequencing with a focus on aortic cellular heterogeneity.

Tuning the physiochemical properties of polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite composite films by gamma irradiation for biomedical applications.

Physiochemical properties of polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite (PCL-HAp) composites were investigated in the pristine and after irradiation of γ rays (25, 50, 75, and 100 kGy). PCL-HAp composites were synthesized by solvent evaporation and characterized using spectroscopic methods as well as biological assays. The surface roughness (RMS) of the irradiated composite film (at 75 kGy) was 80 times higher than that of the pristine. Irradiation tailors the contact angle of the films from 77° to 90° (at 100 kGy). A decrease in particle size (at 100 kGy) of HAp nanorods in PCL-HAp composites film was observed. The XRD peak of PCL was slightly shifted from 21.2° to 21.7° (at 100 kGy) with the decrease in crystallite size. The peak intensity of the PCL and HAp altered on irradiation that was confirmed by FTIR and Raman analysis. Further, the bandgap of the irradiated film was lowered by 13 % (at 25 kGy). The luminescence intensity decreased due to the non-radiative process induced by the irradiation defects. All the samples possess hemocompatibility percentage of <10 % as per ASTM standards. At 75 kGy, fibroblast cell proliferation was higher than the pristine and other doses. The gamma-irradiated PCL-HAp composite films are potential candidates for tissue engineering applications.

Mapping the cellular and molecular landscape of cardiac non-myocytes in murine diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Diabetes is associated with a significantly elevated risk of heart failure. However, despite extensive efforts to characterize the phenotype of the diabetic heart, the molecular and cellular protagonists that underpin cardiac pathological remodeling in diabetes remain unclear, with a notable paucity of data regarding the impact of diabetes on non-myocytes within the heart. Here we aimed to define key differences in cardiac non-myocytes between spontaneously type-2 diabetic (db/db) and healthy control (db/h) mouse hearts. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis revealed a concerted diabetes-induced cellular response contributing to cardiac remodeling. These included cell-specific activation of gene programs relating to fibroblast hyperplasia and cell migration, and dysregulation of pathways involving vascular homeostasis and protein folding. This work offers a new perspective for understanding the cellular mediators of diabetes-induced cardiac pathology, and pathways that may be targeted to address the cardiac complications associated with diabetes.

Multi-omic analysis of the cardiac cellulome defines a vascular contribution to cardiac diastolic dysfunction in obese female mice.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is associated with cardiac dysfunction and predictive of cardiac mortality in obesity, especially in females. Clinical data further support that CMD associates with development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonism may be more efficacious in obese female, versus male, HFpEF patients. Accordingly, we examined the impact of smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific MR deletion on obesity-associated coronary and cardiac diastolic dysfunction in female mice. Obesity was induced in female mice via western diet (WD) feeding alongside littermates fed standard diet. Global MR blockade with spironolactone prevented coronary and cardiac dysfunction in obese females and specific deletion of SMC-MR was sufficient to prevent obesity-associated coronary and cardiac diastolic dysfunction. Cardiac gene expression profiling suggested reduced cardiac inflammation in WD-fed mice with SMC-MR deletion independent of blood pressure, aortic stiffening, and cardiac hypertrophy. Further mechanistic studies utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing of non-cardiomyocyte cell populations revealed novel impacts of SMC-MR deletion on the cardiac cellulome in obese mice. Specifically, WD feeding induced inflammatory gene signatures in non-myocyte populations including B/T cells, macrophages, and endothelium as well as increased coronary VCAM-1 protein expression, independent of cardiac fibrosis, that was prevented by SMC-MR deletion. Further, SMC-MR deletion induced a basal reduction in cardiac mast cells and prevented WD-induced cardiac pro-inflammatory chemokine expression and leukocyte recruitment. These data reveal a central role for SMC-MR signaling in obesity-associated coronary and cardiac dysfunction, thus supporting the emerging paradigm of a vascular origin of cardiac dysfunction in obesity.

Acculturation and Associations with Ultra-processed Food Consumption among Asian Americans: NHANES, 2011-2018.

BACKGROUND: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is linked to adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Asian Americans (AAs) are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, yet their dietary patterns have seldom been described. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to characterize UPF consumption among AAs and determine whether acculturation is associated with increased UPF consumption. METHODS: The NHANES is an annual, cross-sectional survey representative of the US population. We examined 2011-2018 NHANES data, which included 2404 AAs ≥18 y old with valid 24-h dietary recall. Using day 1 dietary recall data, we characterized UPF consumption as the percentage of caloric intake from UPFs, using the NOVA classification system. Acculturation was characterized by nativity status, nativity status and years in the United States combined, home language, and an acculturation index. We assessed the association between acculturation and UPF consumption using linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, marital status, education, income, self-reported health, and self-reported diet quality. RESULTS: UPFs provided, on average, 39.3% (95% CI: 38.1%, 40.5%) of total energy intake among AAs. In adjusted regression analyses, UPF consumption was 14% (95% CI: 9.5%, 17.5%; P < 0.05) greater among those with the highest compared with the lowest acculturation index score, 12% (95% CI: 8.5%, 14.7%: P < 0.05) greater among those who speak English only compared with non-English only in the home, 12% (95% CI: 8.6%, 14.7%: P < 0.05) greater among US-born compared with foreign-born AAs, and 15% (95% CI: 10.7%, 18.3%: P < 0.05) greater among US-born compared with foreign-born AAs with <10 y in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: UPF consumption was common among AAs, and acculturation was strongly associated with greater proportional UPF intake. As the US-born AA population continues to grow, UPF consumption in this group is likely to increase. Further research on disaggregated AA subgroups is warranted to inform culturally tailored dietary interventions.

Disposable biosensors based on metal nanoparticles.

The coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for disposable biosensors that can detect viruses in infected patients quickly due to fast response and also at a low cost.The present review provides an overview of the applications of disposable biosensors based on metal nanoparticles in enzymatic and non-enzymatic sensors with special reference to glucose and H2O2, immunosensors as well as genosensors (DNA biosensors in which the recognized event consists of the hybridization reaction)for point-of-care diagnostics. The disposable biosensors for COVID19 have also been discussed.

Deficiency of MicroRNA-181a Results in Transcriptome-Wide Cell-Specific Changes in the Kidney and Increases Blood Pressure.

[Figure: see text].

New perspectives of the cardiac cellular landscape: mapping cellular mediators of cardiac fibrosis using single-cell transcriptomics.

Single-cell transcriptomics enables inference of context-dependent phenotypes of individual cells and determination of cellular diversity of complex tissues. Cardiac fibrosis is a leading factor in the development of heart failure and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with no effective treatment. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) offers a promising new platform to identify new cellular and molecular protagonists that may drive cardiac fibrosis and development of heart failure. This review will summarize the application scRNA-seq for understanding cardiac fibrosis and development of heart failure. We will also discuss some key considerations in interpreting scRNA-seq data and some of its limitations.

High-Resolution Transcriptomic Profiling of the Heart During Chronic Stress Reveals Cellular Drivers of Cardiac Fibrosis and Hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac fibrosis is a key antecedent to many types of cardiac dysfunction including heart failure. Physiological factors leading to cardiac fibrosis have been recognized for decades. However, the specific cellular and molecular mediators that drive cardiac fibrosis, and the relative effect of disparate cell populations on cardiac fibrosis, remain unclear. METHODS: We developed a novel cardiac single-cell transcriptomic strategy to characterize the cardiac cellulome, the network of cells that forms the heart. This method was used to profile the cardiac cellular ecosystem in response to 2 weeks of continuous administration of angiotensin II, a profibrotic stimulus that drives pathological cardiac remodeling. RESULTS: Our analysis provides a comprehensive map of the cardiac cellular landscape uncovering multiple cell populations that contribute to pathological remodeling of the extracellular matrix of the heart. Two phenotypically distinct fibroblast populations, Fibroblast-Cilp and Fibroblast-Thbs4, emerged after induction of tissue stress to promote fibrosis in the absence of smooth muscle actin-expressing myofibroblasts, a key profibrotic cell population. After angiotensin II treatment, Fibroblast-Cilp develops as the most abundant fibroblast subpopulation and the predominant fibrogenic cell type. Mapping intercellular communication networks within the heart, we identified key intercellular trophic relationships and shifts in cellular communication after angiotensin II treatment that promote the development of a profibrotic cellular microenvironment. Furthermore, the cellular responses to angiotensin II and the relative abundance of fibrogenic cells were sexually dimorphic. CONCLUSIONS: These results offer a valuable resource for exploring the cardiac cellular landscape in health and after chronic cardiovascular stress. These data provide insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote pathological remodeling of the mammalian heart, highlighting early transcriptional changes that precede chronic cardiac fibrosis.

Active Volume Control in Smart Phones Based on User Activity and Ambient Noise.

To communicate efficiently with a prospective user, auditory interfaces are employed in mobile communication devices. Diverse sounds in different volumes are used to alert the user in various devices such as mobile phones, modern laptops and domestic appliances. These alert noises behave erroneously in dynamic noise environments, leading to major annoyances to the user. In noisy environments, as sounds can be played quietly, this leads to the improper masked rendering of the necessary information. To overcome these issues, a multi-model sensing technique is developed as a smartphone application to achieve automatic volume control in a smart phone. Based on the ambient environment, the volume is automatically controlled such that it is maintained at an appropriate level for the user. By identifying the average noise level of the ambient environment from dynamic microphone and together with the activity recognition data obtained from the inertial sensors, the automatic volume control is achieved. Experiments are conducted with five different mobile devices at various noise-level environments and different user activity states. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed application for active volume control in dynamic environments.

Fabrication of nanopatterned PLGA films of curcumin and TPGS for skin cancer.

Squamous cell carcinoma treatment has limited therapeutic options and the incidence rate is increasing recently. In the present investigation, we developed poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanopatterned films (NPFs) through poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) cast molding technique and explored its therapeutic efficacy in combination with curcumin and tocopherol poly (ethylene glycol) 1000 succinate (TPGS). Herein, we demonstrate the preparation and characterization of curcumin loaded tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate stabilized poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanopatterned films (CTP-NPFs). CTP-NPFs showed good in vitro cytotoxicity towards human skin cancer cell line (A431) when compared to that of unpattern films. CTP-NPFs effectively inhibited the progression of 7, 12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)/croton oil induced skin cancer in Swiss albino mice. The nanopatterned films could be used as an alternate treatment for skin cancer.

Pectic oligosaccharide structure-function relationships: Prebiotics, inhibitors of Escherichia coli O157:H7 adhesion and reduction of Shiga toxin cytotoxicity in HT29 cells.

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing, food-contaminating Escherichia coli (STEC) is a major health concern. Plant-derived pectin and pectic-oligosaccharides (POS) have been considered as prebiotics and for the protection of humans from Stx. Of five structurally different citrus pectic samples, POS1, POS2 and modified citrus pectin 1 (MCP1) were bifidogenic with similar fermentabilities in human faecal cultures and arabinose-rich POS2 had the greatest prebiotic potential. Pectic oligosaccharides also enhanced lactobacilli growth during mixed batch faecal fermentation. We demonstrated that all pectic substrates were anti-adhesive for E. coli O157:H7 binding to human HT29 cells. Lower molecular weight and deesterification enhanced the anti-adhesive activity. We showed that all pectic samples reduced Stx2 cytotoxicity in HT29 cells, as measured by the reduction of human rRNA depurination detected by our novel TaqMan-based RT-qPCR assay, with POS1 performing the best. POS1 competes with Stx2 binding to the Gb3 receptor based on ELISA results, underlining the POS anti-STEC properties.

Powerful differential expression analysis incorporating network topology for next-generation sequencing data.

MOTIVATION: RNA-seq has become the technology of choice for interrogating the transcriptome. However, most methods for RNA-seq differential expression (DE) analysis do not utilize prior knowledge of biological networks to detect DE genes. With the increased availability and quality of biological network databases, methods that can utilize this prior knowledge are needed and will offer biologists with a viable, more powerful alternative when analyzing RNA-seq data. RESULTS: We propose a three-state Markov Random Field (MRF) method that utilizes known biological pathways and interaction to improve sensitivity and specificity and therefore reducing false discovery rates (FDRs) when detecting differentially expressed genes from RNA-seq data. The method requires normalized count data (e.g. in Fragments or Reads Per Kilobase of transcript per Million mapped reads (FPKM/RPKM) format) as its input and it is implemented in an R package pathDESeq available from Github. Simulation studies demonstrate that our method outperforms the two-state MRF model for various sample sizes. Furthermore, for a comparable FDR, it has better sensitivity than DESeq, EBSeq, edgeR and NOISeq. The proposed method also picks more top Gene Ontology terms and KEGG pathways terms when applied to real dataset from colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma studies, respectively. Overall, these findings clearly highlight the power of our method relative to the existing methods that do not utilize prior knowledge of biological network. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: As an R package at https://github.com/MalathiSIDona/pathDESeq. TO INSTALL THE PACKAGE TYPE: install_github("MalathiSIDona/pathDESeq",build_vignettes = TRUE). After installation, type vignette("pathDESeq") to access the vignette. CONTACT: a.salim@latrobe.edu.au. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Cranberry Xyloglucan Structure and Inhibition of Escherichia coli Adhesion to Epithelial Cells.

Cranberry juice has been recognized as a treatment for urinary tract infections on the basis of scientific reports of proanthocyanidin anti-adhesion activity against Escherichia coli as well as from folklore. Xyloglucan oligosaccharides were detected in cranberry juice and the residue remaining following commercial juice extraction that included pectinase maceration of the pulp. A novel xyloglucan was detected through tandem mass spectrometry analysis of an ion at m/z 1055 that was determined to be a branched, three hexose, four pentose oligosaccharide consistent with an arabino-xyloglucan structure. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis provided through-bond correlations for the α-L-Araf (1→2) α-D-Xylp (1→6) ß-D-Glcp sequence, proving the S-type cranberry xyloglucan structure. Cranberry xyloglucan-rich fractions inhibited the adhesion of E. coli CFT073 and UTI89 strains to T24 human bladder epithelial cells and that of E. coli O157:H7 to HT29 human colonic epithelial cells. SSGG xyloglucan oligosaccharides represent a new cranberry bioactive component with E. coli anti-adhesion activity and high affinity for type 1 fimbriae.

Dental prosthetic status and prosthetic needs of the institutionalized elderly living in geriatric homes in Hyderabad: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: To promote oral health among the elderly, we need to know their prosthetic status and prosthetic need. Hence, a survey of prosthetic status and need of elderly inmates of geriatric homes in Hyderabad was done. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken, and 174 subjects aged 60 years and above were examined of which 103 were male and 71 were female (59.2% males and 40.8% females). The oral examination of the study subjects was carried out using basic oral health surveys, WHO 1997 criteria. RESULTS: Majority of the subjects, 73 (70.8%) males and 53 (74.6%) females had no prosthesis. Only 4.6% had complete dentures and 21.1% had removable partial dentures and 10.9% had single/multiple bridges. Need for any prosthesis was (83.5%) male and 63 (88.7%) female subjects and nearly 82. 8% subjects required one-unit prosthesis. CONCLUSION: Dental prosthetic status of people living in geriatric homes is very poor and there is high unmet need for prosthetic care existed among the institutionalized elderly surveyed.

Synthesis of biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles and their controlled drug delivery for tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious diseases affecting the 2 billion people worldwide. To improve the current method of treatment a synthetic polymeric anti-TB nanodrug delivery system was attempted. A series of PLGA polymers with different molar feed ratios i.e., 90/10, 75/25, 50/50 were synthesized by direct melt polycondensation method. The PLGA nanoparticles and the drug (Rifampicin (RIF)) encapsulation were prepared by double emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. The in vitro release profile of the RIF loaded PLGA NPs showed an initial burst followed by sustained release. The nanoparticles were remarkably advantageous in terms of high drug encapsulation efficiency, low polymer consumption and better sustained release profile.

Adsorption-desorption studies of indigocarmine from industrial effluents by using deoiled mustard and its comparison with charcoal.

Deoiled mustard obtained from local oil mills has been used as an inexpensive and effective adsorbent for the removal of indigocarmine dye from industrial effluents. The influence of various factors on the adsorption capacity has been studied by batch experiments. The adsorption studies validate both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Thermodynamic parameters such as DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees, and DeltaS degrees for the adsorption process were calculated, which indicated the feasibility of the adsorption process. Desorption profiles revealed that a significant portion (85%) could be desorbed from deoiled mustard by using 30% glycerol as eluting agent.