Analysis of the treatment planning metrics and their correlation with morphology of intracranial lesions in Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Gamma Knife Radiosurgery (GKRS) has established a role in treating various benign brain pathologies. The radiosurgery planning necessitates a proper understanding of radiation dose distribution in relation to the target lesion and surrounding eloquent area. The quality of a radiosurgery plan is determined by various planning parameters. Here, we have reviewed various GKRS planning parameters and analyzed their correlation with the morphology of treated brain lesions. METHOD: A total of 430 treatment plans (71 meningioma, 133 vestibular schwannoma/VS, 150 arteriovenous malformation/AVM, 76 pituitary adenoma/PA treated with GKRS between December 2013 and May 2023) were analyzed for target coverage (TC), conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), and gradient index (GI). RESULT: The values of CIPaddick and CILomax for PA were lower and differed significantly from meningioma, VS, and AVM. The value of HI for PA was higher and differed significantly when compared with meningioma, VS, and AVM. The values of HI for AVM were also significantly higher than VS and meningioma. The mean GI was 3.02, 2.92, 3.03, and 2.88 for meningioma, VS, AVM, and PA, respectively. The value of GI for meningioma and AVM was significantly higher when compared with the values for VS and PA. The mean TC was 0.94 for meningioma, 0.96 for VS, 0.95 for AVM, and 0.90 for PA. The value TC of PA was lower and differed significantly when compared with VS, AVM, and meningioma. Lesions with a volume of ≤1 cc had poor planning metrics as the spillage of radiation may be higher. CONCLUSION: The GKRS planning parameters depend on the size, shape, nature, and location of intracranial lesions. Therefore, each treatment plan needs to be evaluated thoroughly and a long-term follow-up is needed to establish their relation with clinical outcome.

A prospective study of endometrial histopathology in post-menopausal women in Jharkhand.

Introduction: Postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) refers to any uterine bleeding in a menopausal women. In the early menopausal years, endometrial hyperplasia, polyps and submucosal fibroids are common etiologies of post menopausal bleeding. The most common cause of postmenopausal bleeding is endometrial atrophy, comprises of 60-80%, while endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer contribute to only 11% of Post menopausal bleeding. The aim of study is to analyses histomorphological pattern of endometrium in patients presenting with post-menopausal bleeding in Jharkhand. Materials and Methods: 103 postmenopausal women presenting to tertiary center of Jharkhand in 2020-22 with bleeding were subjected to endometrial curettage for histopathology. Analysis is based on morphological criteria to assess endometrium. Endometrial histology is of four categories: Proliferative, Secretory, premalignant and carcinoma. Results: The highest incidence of postmenopausal bleeding was noticed in age group of < 60 years and incidence of malignancy was higher after 57 years of age. The majority of patients had parity between 1 and 3 (78.6%). Malignant & premalignant lesions comprises about 22.3% among that 77.7% were due to benign causes. Among the benign causes of postmenopausal bleeding, proliferative endometrium was the commonest finding. Types of hyperplasia encountered were simple hyperplasia without atypia (6.8%), Complex hyperplasia without atypia (3.9%),Complex hyperplasia with atypia (4.8%) and Simple hyperplasia with atypia (4.8%). 21.4% of cases of postmenopausal bleeding were associated with atrophic endometrium. Secretory endometrium seen in 17.5% of women. Endometrial carcinoma accounted for 12.6% of cases of postmenopausal bleeding. Out of these 69.2% were of endometroid type of endometrial carcinoma, 15.3% were of papillary serous carcinoma and 15.3% had clear cell carcinoma. The mean age of patients with endometrium carcinoma was 62.3 years. All cases of endometrial carcinoma were associated with 1 or more risk factor like diabetes/hypertension/Nulligravida. Conclusion: Proliferative Endometrium was a major cause of postmenopausal bleeding. Among the malignant causes, endometrial adenocarcinoma of endometroid type was most frequent with a lower mean age at presentation than other high grade cancers like papillary serous carcinoma & clear cell carcinoma.

Targeted treatment reverses increased left cardiac work in unilateral versus bilateral primary aldosteronism.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of cardiovascular complications may be higher in unilateral than in bilateral primary aldosteronism (PA). We compared non-invasive hemodynamics before and after targeted therapy of bilateral versus unilateral PA. METHODS: Adrenal vein sampling was performed, and cardiovascular variables were recorded using radial artery pulse wave analysis and whole-body impedance cardiography (n=114). In a subset of 40 patients (adrenalectomy n=20, spironolactone-based treatment n=20), hemodynamic recordings were again performed after 33 months of targeted PA treatment. RESULTS: In initial cross-sectional analysis, 51 patients had bilateral and 63 had unilateral PA. The mean ages were 50.6 and 54.3 years (p=0.081), and body mass indexes were 30.3 and 30.6 kg/m2 (p=0.724), respectively. Aortic blood pressure and cardiac output did not significantly differ between the groups, but evaluated left cardiac work was ~10% higher in unilateral PA (p=0.022). In the followup study, initial and final blood pressure levels in the aorta were not significantly different, while initial cardiac output (+13%, p=0.015) and left cardiac work (+17%, p=0.009) were higher in unilateral than in bilateral PA. After a median treatment time of 33 months, the differences in cardiac load were abolished, and extracellular water volume was reduced by 1.3 and 1.4 liters in bilateral versus unilateral PA, respectively (p=0.814). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that unilateral PA burdens the heart more than bilateral PA, providing a possible explanation for the higher incidence of cardiac complications in unilateral disease. A similar reduction in aldosterone-induced volume excess was obtained with targeted surgical and medical treatment of PA.

Effect of cold arid high-altitude environment on bioactive phytochemical compounds of organically grown Brassicaceae vegetables for nutri-health security in mountainous regions.

High-altitude (HA) environment presents immense physiological adversities for humans that have been overcome by supplementing bio-active phytochemicals from functional foods that support and accelerate acclimatization under these extreme environmental conditions. Several agricultural interventions have been investigated to enhance the phytochemical content in vegetables however; these studies have been limited to low-altitude (LA) regions only. In view of an existing knowledge gap, current work is designed to compare the phytochemical compositions of HA and LA-grown Brassicaceae vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, knol-khol, and radish) using organic treatments via farm yard manure (FYM) and Azotobacter. The open field study was conducted as a two-factorial randomized block design. The first factor was treatment (T1-FYM, T2-Azotobacter, T3-FYM + Azotobacter, and T4-control) while the second was locations (HA and LA). Among all these treatments, the application of treatment T3 in HA-grown cabbage showed the highest total phenolic content (TPC; 9.56 µg/mg), total flavonoids content (TFC; 14.48 µg/mg), and antioxidant potential using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH; 85.97%) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP; 30.77 µg/mg) compared to LA grown samples. Reverse Phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis showed that treatment T3 at HA led to significantly high kaempferol (0.92 µg/mg) and sulforaphane (8.94 µg/mg) contents in cabbage whereas, indole-3-carbinol (1.31 µg/mg) was higher in HA grown cauliflower. The present study provides scientific evidence for the enrichment of health-promoting phytochemical compounds in Brassicaceae vegetables grown with T3 treatment specifically at HA.

Role of the Tumor Microenvironment in Mediating Resistance to Anti-HER2 Antibodies.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women globally. Despite advancements in treatment strategies, many patients still develop challenging-to-treat metastatic disease. The development and progression of tumors are influenced by genetic/epigenetic changes within tumor cells and alterations in the tumor microenvironment (TME) through a dynamic communication. The TME comprises various elements, including immune, tumor, and stromal cells. Tumor cells at the core of the TME orchestrate complex signals that lead to tumor growth, survival, and resistance to treatment. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in a significant proportion of invasive breast cancers, influencing prognosis and prediction. Novel therapeutic approaches target HER2-positive breast cancers by leveraging HER2-targeted therapeuirtcs such as antibody-drug conjugates, monoclonal antibodies, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The TME in HER2-positive breast cancers also involves cancer-associated fibroblasts and cancer-associated adipocytes, which play critical roles in tumor progression and therapy resistance. The immune microenvironment also plays a significant role, with studies indicating its impact on outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer. Trastuzumab, one of the first monoclonal antibodies targeting HER2, has shown promise in enhancing survival rates in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer. Integration of trastuzumab with chemotherapy has demonstrated significant enhancements in disease-free survival as well as overall survival rates during early breast cancer treatment. Trastuzumab functions by inhibiting HER2 signaling pathways, leading to cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. Overall, understanding the complex interplay between HER2, the tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic interventions is essential for improving outcomes in HER2-positive BC.

Challenges and Barriers Faced by People with TB and Healthcare Workers Providing TB Care and Management - A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: In tuberculosis (TB) care and management, there are practical challenges existing at the patient-provider level leading to implementation barriers at the primary care level. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to explore the challenges and barriers faced by people with TB and health-care workers in TB care and management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was done as a part of a community intervention study between November 2021 and December 2022. Twenty interviews were taken with treatment for TB (n = 7) and health-care personnel (n = 13). Health-care personnel include nursing staff, medical officers, laboratory technicians, community health workers, and medical personnel from tertiary care hospital. Participants were recruited across all levels of health-care systems. Interviews were carried out in the Hindi language, audio recorded, and translated to English. Participants were asked about their experiences of challenges and barriers faced during TB care and management. Qualitative data were coded, and thematic analysis was done manually. RESULTS: The challenges and barriers at the level of people with TB were issues with communication between providers and people with TB, out-of-pocket expenditure, poor adherence to medicines, lack of proper diet, gender issues, and stigma. The challenges and barriers at the level of health-care providers were a lack of infrastructure and logistics, lack of awareness, COVID-19-related issues, lack of workforce, and technical issues. CONCLUSION: Communication between providers and people with TB must be improved to improve the drug adherence and satisfaction of the end user. Proper funding must be provided for the TB programs. People with TB must be counseled properly regarding the free health care services available near their homes to prevent out-of-pocket expenditure. These will help in fast-tracking the elimination of TB.

Chitosan composite with mesenchymal stem cells: Properties, mechanism, and its application in bone regeneration.

Bone defects resulting from trauma, illness or congenital abnormalities represent a significant challenge to global health. Conventional treatments such as autographs and allografts have limitations, leading to the exploration of bone tissue engineering (BTE) as an alternative approach. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of bone regeneration mechanisms with a focus on the role of chitosan-based biomaterials and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in BTE. In addition, the physiochemical and biological properties of chitosan, its potential for bone regeneration when combined with other materials and the mechanisms through which MSCs facilitate bone regeneration were investigated. In addition, different methods of scaffold development and the incorporation of MSCs into chitosan-based scaffolds were examined. Chitosan has remarkable biocompatibility, biodegradability and osteoconductivity, making it an attractive choice for BTE. Interactions between transcription factors such as Runx2 and Osterix and signaling pathways such as the BMP and Wnt pathways regulate the differentiation of MSCs and bone regeneration. Various forms of scaffolding, including porous and fibrous injections, have shown promise in BTE. The synergistic combination of chitosan and MSCs in BTE has significant potential for addressing bone defects and promoting bone regeneration, highlighting the promising future of clinical challenges posed by bone defects.

Quality evaluation of strawberries coated with water-in-oil based emulsion using an advanced electrostatic spray coating system.

In this study, the impact of formulated emulsion was studied on strawberries which were coated using dip and electrostatic spray coating methods. The coated strawberries were kept at room temperature for a period of 12 days. A significant level of chargeability of w/o emulsion was achieved in terms of charge-to-mass ratio of 2.81 mC/kg at an applied high voltage of 2.0 kV, applied air pressure of 0.3 MPa, and liquid flow rate of 33.6 ml/min. The distance of 170 mm from the nozzle tip to Faraday cage was maintained during the measurements. As compared to uncoated and dip coated strawberries, the water-in-oil based electrostatically charged sprays considerably (p < 0.05) reduced the weight loss, decay rate, pH, titrable acidity, TSS, and antioxidant activity. In both the cases, i.e. strawberries coated with dip and electrostatic spray coating methods, the same weight loss was observed, however, there was a considerably less weight loss as compared to uncoated samples. The textures of the uncoated (9.02 N) and dip coated (12.58 N) samples were significantly different from the electrostatic spray coated (15.85 N) samples. Since, the coating formulation had no impact on the sensory attributes, the samples were considered as acceptable at the end of the storage. Furthermore, compared to uncoated, water-in-oil based electrostatically charged spray coating was more effective at delaying the decay by 12 days.

Development and evaluation of a vacuum impregnation system for enhancement of biochemical properties of food materials.

Vacuum impregnation is a novel methodology for adding various substances to porous foods. This study aimed to develop a cost effective automate system for vacuum impregnation of food materials to enhance their nutritional, functional and sensory properties depending on the functionality of the impregnation solution. The developed vacuum impregnation system includes a vacuum chamber, vacuum pump and an automation setup for creating and maintaining vacuum conditions, feeding impregnated solutions to the samples and releasing vacuum. Fresh-cut spinach leaves were impregnated with ascorbic acid (AsA) and calcium chloride (Cacl2) (10% concentration) in the setup in order to test the effect of the process on some biochemical properties. Statistical analysis revealed significant effect of vacuum impregnation on the biochemical properties (total soluble solids, total phenolic content, flavonoid content and free radical scavenging activity) and color of spinach leaves during storage up to 4 days. Impregnation process showed significant increase in the total phenolic and flavonoid content of the spinach leaves. Increment up to 78% in antioxidant activity was seen for the uncoated impregnated leaves as compared to 59% activity in untreated samples. Thus, products with desired parameters can be produced with this process with minimal impact on their properties at a lower cost and in a shorter time period.

Discrimination and analytical profiling of colored printed documents using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled with explorative and predictive statistical analysis: Part I.

Printed documents are a common form of evidence in forensic document examination. The integration of spectroscopy with chemometrics have evolved evidential analytical interpretation of printing inks. However, we report the first ever study that explores the examination of both black and colored printed documents combined with explorative Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and supervised techniques viz. Soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) and Partial Least Square- Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). The study investigated 74 (40 Ink-based and 34 Toner- based) colored printed document samples using ATR-FTIR to discriminate and determine the source of origin of an unknown printed document using a non-destructive approach. Qualitative analysis by ATR- FTIR indicated the presence of polystyrene, bisphenol A and acrylates as the common binder polymers in the samples. The study was also able to obtain pigment information like presence of PR 57 and PR 146 in magenta, Carbon black in black, Copper Phthalocyanine and PB 15 in Cyan and PY 74 in yellow colored printed samples. Further, PCA has been used as an explorative technique that showed a variance of 97 % in the dataset and indicating that the color Cyan contributes to the maximum classification accuracy. SIMCA has been used as a supervised method to classify the known and test samples to their respective defined classes. However, SIMCA could only classify Toner-based samples in their respective class and inconclusive results were obtained in case of Ink-based samples. Finally, PLS-DA was also used to classify the two class of samples which resulted in a discrimination accuracy of 98.6 %. The derived model was also used for validation study on blind test samples which provided 100 % classification results.

The abundant fraction of soil microbiomes regulates the rhizosphere function in crop wild progenitors.

The rhizosphere influence on the soil microbiome and function of crop wild progenitors (CWPs) remains virtually unknown, despite its relevance to develop microbiome-oriented tools in sustainable agriculture. Here, we quantified the rhizosphere influence-a comparison between rhizosphere and bulk soil samples-on bacterial, fungal, protists and invertebrate communities and on soil multifunctionality across nine CWPs at their sites of origin. Overall, rhizosphere influence was higher for abundant taxa across the four microbial groups and had a positive influence on rhizosphere soil organic C and nutrient contents compared to bulk soils. The rhizosphere influence on abundant soil microbiomes was more important for soil multifunctionality than rare taxa and environmental conditions. Our results are a starting point towards the use of CWPs for rhizosphere engineering in modern crops.

Highly Efficient Back-End-of-Line Compatible Flexible Si-Based Optical Memristive Crossbar Array for Edge Neuromorphic Physiological Signal Processing and Bionic Machine Vision.

The emergence of the Internet-of-Things is anticipated to create a vast market for what are known as smart edge devices, opening numerous opportunities across countless domains, including personalized healthcare and advanced robotics. Leveraging 3D integration, edge devices can achieve unprecedented miniaturization while simultaneously boosting processing power and minimizing energy consumption. Here, we demonstrate a back-end-of-line compatible optoelectronic synapse with a transfer learning method on health care applications, including electroencephalogram (EEG)-based seizure prediction, electromyography (EMG)-based gesture recognition, and electrocardiogram (ECG)-based arrhythmia detection. With experiments on three biomedical datasets, we observe the classification accuracy improvement for the pretrained model with 2.93% on EEG, 4.90% on ECG, and 7.92% on EMG, respectively. The optical programming property of the device enables an ultra-low power (2.8 × 10-13 J) fine-tuning process and offers solutions for patient-specific issues in edge computing scenarios. Moreover, the device exhibits impressive light-sensitive characteristics that enable a range of light-triggered synaptic functions, making it promising for neuromorphic vision application. To display the benefits of these intricate synaptic properties, a 5 × 5 optoelectronic synapse array is developed, effectively simulating human visual perception and memory functions. The proposed flexible optoelectronic synapse holds immense potential for advancing the fields of neuromorphic physiological signal processing and artificial visual systems in wearable applications.

A method to design a fast chaotic oscillator using CCTA.

This article introduces a novel method for designing a fast chaotic oscillator using a CCTA (Current Conveyor Transconductance Amplifier) based on Chua's circuit. The proposed method uses innovative configurations and advanced simulation techniques to overcome challenges in high-speed operation, nonlinear dynamics, and Analog Building Block (ABB) selection. The design begins with nonlinear negative resistance, essential for Chua's diode characteristics, including two negative resistances, NR1 and NR2. The circuit integrates one CCTA block, two grounded capacitors, two fixed resistors, one inductor, and one potentiometer. It is simulated using PSPICE with IC (Integrated Circuit) macro-models and 180nm CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology. Various chaotic waveforms and attractors are produced, validating the theoretical and mathematical predictions. By varying the resistance values (1450Ω, 1650Ω, 1800Ω, 1950Ω), the circuit exhibits different chaotic behaviors, such as large limit cycles, double-scroll attractors, Rossler-type attractors, and I-periodic attractors. FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analysis confirms the highest dominant operating frequency of 37.5MHz. A Monte Carlo simulation with 100 runs shows maximum voltage variations in the chaotic waveforms of 5.21 % and 4.61 % across the capacitors, demonstrating robustness and reliability. This design offers significant advancements in implementing high-frequency chaotic oscillators, with potential applications in various fields requiring chaotic signal generation.•A novel design of Chua's diode and Chua's chaotic oscillator using only one CCTA block is presented in this paper.•The proposed chaotic oscillator achieves the highest operating frequency of 37.5MHz.•The proposed circuit is simulated using commercially available ICs (MAX435 and AD844) and CMOS 180nm technology in PSPICE to confirm its workability.

"Snapping, sharing and receiving blame": A systematic review on psychosocial factors of victim blaming in non-consensual pornography.

Non-consensual pornography has become a growing concern, with potentially negative consequences for the victims. Victims of revenge porn are more likely to be blamed, and understanding why and how blame is attributed toward victims of non-consensual pornography is crucial to support them and reduce the negative consequences. This study aimed to explore and synthesize the existing evidence on victim blaming in non-consensual pornography and the underlying psychosocial factors within the context of attribution framework. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted across four databases namely PubMed, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and Scopus for English-language studies published from April 2012 to June 2022. Data from the selected studies were extracted and collated into the review matrix. Among the 22 full-text reviews, 10 records that met the eligibility criteria were included in the final review. Two themes namely "Culture and morality" and "gendered differences in attributions of blame" were derived from a thematic synthesis of 10 studies and reflected the psychosocial underpinnings of victim blaming. The review highlighted how cultural narratives and perceived immorality play a major role in how attributions are placed on self or others for victim blaming in "non-consensual pornography." Blame attributions emerging from gender stereotyping and gendered responsibilization within cultural and societal contexts were found to impact self-blame and compound victimization in non-consensual pornography. The study findings implicated that recognizing psychosocial underpinnings of victim blame attribution in revenge porn would allow for evolving suitable legislative and policy responses for designing effective educative and preventative strategies.

Online gaming motives, family relationships, and personality among Indian youth.

Background: Youth involvement in gaming has become an important concern for mental health professionals due to its significant impact on functionality and relationships. However, the gaming motives and associated family relationships and personality traits in the Indian context are poorly understood. Aim: The study examined problematic online gaming, including Internet gaming disorder in connection to gaming motives and personality, especially as they impact family relationships among Indian youth. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of 179 participants (86 males; 93 females) with the age range of 18-25 years who were involved in Internet gaming in the last 1 year. The subjects were recruited using an online survey. Tools used were brief and included the Gaming Usage Questionnaire, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form, Motivation for Online Gaming Questionnaire UCLA Loneliness Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale, Brief Family Relationships Questionnaire, and MINI International Personality Item Pool. Results: The mean age of the participants was 21.99 ± 2.202 years. A stepwise multivariate regression analysis indicated that escape and competition motives, low cohesion in family relationships, low level of conscientiousness, and low level of intellect/imagination contributed to problematic gaming behaviors. Conclusions: The study established a relationship between gaming motives and both internal and external factors associated with problematic online gaming. Generalizing the findings across a larger youth population would help in developing informed preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing a gaming disorder.

Solar light driven atomic and electronic transformations in a plasmonic Ni@NiO/NiCO3 photocatalyst revealed by ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

This work employs ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to delve into the atomic and electronic transformations of a core-shell Ni@NiO/NiCO3 photocatalyst - a model system for visible light active plasmonic photocatalysts used in water splitting for hydrogen production. This catalyst exhibits reversible structural and electronic changes in response to water vapor and solar simulator light. In this study, APXPS spectra were obtained under a 1 millibar water vapor pressure, employing a solar simulator with an AM 1.5 filter to measure spectral data under visible light illumination. The in situ APXPS spectra indicate that the metallic Ni core absorbs the light, exciting plasmons, and creates hot electrons that are subsequently utilized through hot electron injection in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by NiCO3. Additionally, the data show that NiO undergoes reversible oxidation to NiOOH in the presence of water vapor and light. The present work also investigates the contribution of carbonate and its involvement in the photocatalytic reaction mechanism, shedding light on this seldom-explored aspect of photocatalysis. The APXPS results highlight the photochemical reduction of carbonates into -COOH, contributing to the deactivation of the photocatalyst. This work demonstrates the APXPS efficacy in examining photochemical reactions, charge transfer dynamics and intermediates in potential photocatalysts under near realistic conditions.

Progressive Pattern Interleaver with Multi-Carrier Modulation Schemes and Iterative Multi-User Detection in IoT 6G Environments with Multipath Channels.

Sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks demand a more efficient implementation of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) schemes for severe multipath fading environments to serve multiple users. Using non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) schemes in IoT 6G networks is a promising solution to allow multiple users to share the same spectral and temporal resource, increasing spectral efficiency and improving the network's capacity. In this work, we have evaluated the performance of a novel progressive pattern interleaver (PPI) employed to distinguish the users in interleaved division multiple access (IDMA) schemes, suggested by 3GPP guidelines as a NOMA scheme, with two multi-carrier modulation schemes known as single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), resulting in SC-FDMA-IDMA and OFDM-IDMA schemes. Both schemes are multi-carrier schemes with orthogonal sub-carriers to deal against inter-symbol interference (ISI) and orthogonal interleavers for the simultaneous access of multiple users. It has been suggested through simulation outcomes that PPI performance is adequate with SC-FDMA-IDMA and OFDM-IDMA schemes in terms of bit error rate (BER) under multipath channel conditions. Moreover, regarding bandwidth requirement and the implementation complexity of the transmitted interleaver structure, PPI is superior to the conventional random interleaver (RI).

Rising trend of symptomatic infections due to Hepatitis A virus infection in adolescent and adult age group: An observational study from a tertiary care liver institute in India.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is the most common cause of Acute Viral Hepatitis (AVH) in children. It causes self-limiting illness and rarely acute liver failure. The shifting pattern in HAV endemicity is rendering adolescents and adults vulnerable to infection. METHODS: In this retrospective study, samples received from 14,807 patients with acute onset icteric illness from January 2014-December 2022 were analyzed. HAV infection was detected by anti-HAV IgM positivity. The cases were divided into 3 age groups, pediatric, adolescents and adults, and clinical presentations were compared. RESULTS: Overall, 7.72%(1144) were positive for anti-HAV IgM. Of these, 60%(690) were finally included in the study. The positive cases were divided into adults, ≥18 years (44%, 304); pediatric, <12 years (31%, 212) and adolescents (25%,174) age groups. Overall males were predominant [72.4%(500)], with a median age of 16 (IQR:9-21) years. Cases were characterised into AVH (68.1%, 470/690), Acute Liver Failure (ALF) (31.4%, 217/690) and Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (0.43%, 3/690). AVH in the pediatric age group was 69%(146/212), adolescents was 67%(117/174), and adults was 68%(207/304). ALF cases among the 3 groups were 30%(65/212), 33%(57/174), and 31%(95/304) respectively. Overall mortality was seen in 6.52%(45/690), maximum in adolescents with ALF presentation [10.3%(18/174)]. On molecular characterization of infection, viremia was seen in 28.9%(200/690) and all the isolates were Genotype IIIA. CONCLUSIONS: The number of adults experiencing symptomatic HAV infection was seen to increase over the years in the present study. Infection in adolescents was associated with higher mortality and ALF as the clinical presentation.

Terfenadine, a histamine H1 receptor antagonist, induces apoptosis by suppressing STAT3 signaling in human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is a highly aggressive and metastatic cancer with inadequate clinical outcomes. Given the crucial role of histamine and histamine receptors in colorectal carcinogenesis, this study aimed at exploring the anticancer effects of terfenadine against colorectal cancer HCT116 cells and elucidate its underlying mechanism. Methods: Herein, we examined the effect of terfenadine on growth and proliferation of HCT116 cells in vitro and in vivo. Various experimental techniques such as flow cytometry, western blot, immunoprecipitation, luciferase assay were employed to unveil the mechanism of cell death triggered by terfenadine. Results: Terfenadine markedly attenuated the viability of HCT116 cells by abrogating histamine H1 receptor (H1R) signaling. In addition, terfenadine modulated the balance of Bax and Bcl-2, triggering cytochrome c discharge in the cytoplasm, thereby stimulating the caspase cascade and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) degradation. Moreover, terfenadine suppressed murine double minute-2 (Mdm2) expression, whereas p53 expression increased. Terfenadine suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation and expression of its gene products by inhibiting MEK/ERK and JAK2 activation in HCT116 cells. Furthermore, treatment with U0126, a MEK inhibitor, and AG490, a JAK2 inhibitor, dramatically diminished the phosphorylations of ERK1/2 and JAK2, respectively, leading to STAT3 downregulation. Likewise, terfenadine diminished the complex formation of MEK1/2 with ß-arrestin 2. In addition, terfenadine dwindled the phosphorylation of PKC substrates. Terfenadine administration (10 mg/kg) substantially retarded the growth of HCT116 tumor xenografts in vivo. Conclusion: Terfenadine induces the apoptosis of HCT116 cells by abrogating STAT3 signaling. Overall, this study supports terfenadine as a prominent anticancer therapy for colorectal cancer.