The Tamil Version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18V2: Reliability and Factor Structure Among Persons with Schizophrenia.

Background: Persons with schizophrenia (PwS) are vulnerable to developing disordered eating behaviors. However, standardized tools to assess disordered eating patterns are unavailable in the regional language, Tamil. Different versions of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) have been used to measure disordered eating patterns among PwS worldwide. This study aimed to assess the factor structure and reliability of the Tamil version of TFEQ-R18V2 among Tamil-speaking PwS. Methods: Over three months, 135 PwS, aged 18-65 years, who attended the outpatient department of a tertiary mental health service provider in Chennai, completed the Tamil version of TFEQ-R18V2. Thirty PwS completed the tool after two weeks to assess its test-retest reliability. The factor structure of the tool was explored using principal component analysis. Results: The sample included 75 (55.6%) males and 60 (44.4%) females with a mean (±SD) age of 40.1 (±9.8) years and a mean duration of illness of 11.99 (± 8.72) years. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Tamil version were 0.84 and 0.532, respectively. A five-factor structure emerged from the factor analysis, with 65.67% of the variance. Conclusion: The Tamil version of TFEQ-R18V2 emerged as a reliable tool to assess disordered eating patterns among Tamil-speaking PwS.

Pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of neuropeptide S system in neurological disorders.

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a 20 amino acids-containing neuroactive molecule discovered by the reverse pharmacology method. NPS is detected in specific brain regions like the brainstem, amygdala, and hypothalamus, while its receptor (NPSR) is ubiquitously expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Besides CNS, NPS and NPSR are also expressed in the peripheral nervous system. NPSR is a G-protein coupled receptor that primarily uses Gq and Gs signaling pathways to mediate the actions of NPS. In animal models of Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease, NPS exerts neuroprotective effects. NPS suppresses oxidative stress, anxiety, food intake, and pain, and promotes arousal. NPSR facilitates reward, reinforcement, and addiction-related behaviors. Genetic variation and single nucleotide polymorphism in NPSR are associated with depression, schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. NPS interacts with several neurotransmitters including glutamate, noradrenaline, serotonin, corticotropin-releasing factor, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. It also modulates the immune system via augmenting pro-inflammatory cytokines and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. In the present review, we discussed the distribution profile of NPS and NPSR, signaling pathways, and their importance in the pathophysiology of various neurological disorders. We have also proposed the areas where further investigations on the NPS system are warranted.

The Tamil version of Eating Attitudes Test-26: Reliability and factor structure among persons with schizophrenia.

Background: Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) among persons with schizophrenia (PwS) have been reported widely in the literature, with very few studies in India. Robust tools to assess DEB are needed in the vernacular language to capture symptoms of disordered eating accurately. No such tools are available in the Tamil language. Globally, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) is widely used to assess DEB among PwS. Aim: This study aimed to translate and study the factor structure and reliability of EAT-26 among Tamil-speaking PwS. Materials and Methods: EAT-26 was translated into Tamil following the Oxford linguistic validation process. Experts evaluated its face validity and content validity. One hundred and fifty PwS, aged between 18 and 65 years, who attended the outpatient department of a psychiatric facility, and consented to participate, completed the Tamil version of EAT-26. Test-retest reliability of EAT-26 was assessed by readministering the tool to 30 PwS after two weeks. Data were analyzed using Stata 16.1. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were computed using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass coefficients, respectively. The factor structure of EAT-26 was explored using principal component analysis (PCA). Spearman's rho was calculated to understand the correlation between the factors. Results: EAT-26 had an internal consistency of 0.71 and test-retest reliability of 0.896. Factor analysis revealed nine latent factors consisting of 21 of the original 26 items on EAT-26. These 21 items could explain a variance of 63.63%. Conclusions: The Tamil version of the EAT-26 is a reliable tool to assess DEB among Tamil-speaking PwS. It can be used to screen PwS for eating disorder risk.

Machine Learning-Based Classification of Abnormal Liver Tissues Using Relative Permittivity.

The search for non-invasive, fast, and low-cost diagnostic tools has gained significant traction among many researchers worldwide. Dielectric properties calculated from microwave signals offer unique insights into biological tissue. Material properties, such as relative permittivity (εr) and conductivity (σ), can vary significantly between healthy and unhealthy tissue types at a given frequency. Understanding this difference in properties is key for identifying the disease state. The frequency-dependent nature of the dielectric measurements results in large datasets, which can be postprocessed using artificial intelligence (AI) methods. In this work, the dielectric properties of liver tissues in three mouse models of liver disease are characterized using dielectric spectroscopy. The measurements are grouped into four categories based on the diets or disease state of the mice, i.e., healthy mice, mice with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) induced by choline-deficient high-fat diet, mice with NASH induced by western diet, and mice with liver fibrosis. Multi-class classification machine learning (ML) models are then explored to differentiate the liver tissue groups based on dielectric measurements. The results show that the support vector machine (SVM) model was able to differentiate the tissue groups with an accuracy up to 90%. This technology pipeline, thus, shows great potential for developing the next generation non-invasive diagnostic tools.

Prevention of carcinogen-induced oral cancers by polymeric black tea polyphenols via modulation of EGFR-Akt-mTOR pathway.

The overexpression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and dysregulation of its downstream effector pathways are important molecular hallmarks of oral cancers. Present study investigates the chemopreventive potential of polymeric black tea polyphenols (PBPs)/thearubigins (TRs) in the hamster model of oral carcinogenesis as well as determine the effect of PBPs on EGFR and the molecular players in the EGFR pathway. In dose-dependent manner, pre and concurrent treatment with PBPs (1.5%, 5%, 10%) decreased the number and volume of macroscopic tumors as well as the number and area of microscopic lesions. Interestingly, at 10% dose of PBPs, no macroscopic or microscopic tumors were observed. We observed PBPs mediated dose-dependent decrease in oxidative DNA damage (8OHdG); inflammation (COX-2); proliferation (PCNA, Cyclin D1); expression of EGFR, and its downstream signaling kinases (pAkt, Akt, and mTOR); hypoxia (HIF1α) and angiogenesis (VEGF). There was also a PBPs mediated dose-dependent increase in apoptosis (Bax). Thus, our data clearly indicate that the observed chemopreventive potential of PBPs was due to modulation in the EGFR pathway associated with cell proliferation, hypoxia, and angiogenesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate preclinical chemopreventive efficacy of PBPs and give an insight into its mechanistic role in the chemoprevention of experimental oral cancer.

A Rare Case of Herpes Zoster in an Adult Patient Recovered From Symptomatic Reinfection of COVID-19.

In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, various dermatological conditions have been observed. Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus must be ruled out before considering vesicular exanthems linked to COVID-19. The immunological status of the host has an impact on the natural history of herpes zoster (HZ). Age is a major risk factor for most of the cases of HZ. Reactivation of VZV can be triggered by iatrogenic immunosuppression or disease-related immunocompromised state or age-related immunosenescence. Rarely, dermatological symptoms have been reported in recovered COVID-19 patients. We hereby present a rare case of HZ in a recovered patient from symptomatic reinfection of COVID-19.

Human Cadaveric Donor Cornea Derived Extra Cellular Matrix Microparticles for Minimally Invasive Healing/Regeneration of Corneal Wounds.

Biological materials derived from extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins have garnered interest as their composition is very similar to that of native tissue. Herein, we report the use of human cornea derived decellularized ECM (dECM) microparticles dispersed in human fibrin sealant as an accessible therapeutic alternative for corneal anterior stromal reconstruction. dECM microparticles had good particle size distribution (≤10 µm) and retained the majority of corneal ECM components found in native tissue. Fibrin-dECM hydrogels exhibited compressive modulus of 70.83 ± 9.17 kPa matching that of native tissue, maximum burst pressure of 34.3 ± 3.7 kPa, and demonstrated a short crosslinking time of ~17 min. The fibrin-dECM hydrogels were found to be biodegradable, cytocompatible, non-mutagenic, non-sensitive, non-irritant, and supported the growth and maintained the phenotype of encapsulated human corneal stem cells (hCSCs) in vitro. In a rabbit model of anterior lamellar keratectomy, fibrin-dECM bio-adhesives promoted corneal re-epithelialization within 14 days, induced stromal tissue repair, and displayed integration with corneal tissues in vivo. Overall, our results suggest that the incorporation of cornea tissue-derived ECM microparticles in fibrin hydrogels is non-toxic, safe, and shows tremendous promise as a minimally invasive therapeutic approach for the treatment of superficial corneal epithelial wounds and anterior stromal injuries.

A reliable animal model of corneal stromal opacity: Development and validation using in vivo imaging.

PURPOSE: To validate an animal model of corneal stromal opacity by using objective vision-independent in vivo imaging metrics. METHODS: This was a prospective study, with two arms: (i) observational human arm which included 14 patients with healed unilateral ulcerative keratitis; and (ii) experimental rabbit arm, which included 6 New Zealand white rabbits. A 3-mm central wound was created in the left eye of the rabbits by manually removing 200-250 µm of the superficial stroma, followed by rotating-burr application. Both groups underwent photography, high-resolution anterior segment optical coherence tomography, and Scheimpflug imaging using similar diagnostic platforms and standardized image capturing protocols. Parameters studied were relative change in (i) corneal thickness; (ii) corneal epithelial: stromal (E:S) reflectivity ratio; (iii) corneal stromal light scattering using densitometry; and (iv) central corneal keratometry. RESULTS: In the experimental arm, there was a significant decrease in corneal thickness (273 ± 51.3 vs. 407.3 ± 10.3 µm, p = 0.0038), E:S reflectivity ratio (0.71 ± 0.09 vs. 0.99 ± 0.06, p = 0.0018), and keratometry (40.4 ± 2.3 vs. 45.8 ± 0.9D, p = 0.0033) and increase in densitometry (54.2 ± 11.65 vs.18.7 ± 3.8 GSU, p = 0.0001) from baseline, which stabilized at 4 to 8-weeks post-wounding (p > 0.3632). At 8-weeks, the relative change from baseline in corneal thickness (28.4 ± 13.5% vs.22.4 ± 13%, p = 0.368), E:S reflectivity ratio (28.1 ± 11.5% vs. 30.6 ± 8.9%, p = 0.603), corneal densitometry (204.17 ± 97.3% vs. 304.9 ± 113.6%, p = 0.1113), and central corneal keratometry (13.6 ± 6.9% vs. 18.9 ± 7.4%, p = 0.1738) in rabbits was similar to human corneal scars. CONCLUSION: The animal model of corneal opacification was objectively comparable to human post-keratitis scars and can be valuable for in vivo evaluation of emerging therapies for corneal opacities.

Cefotaxime induced generalized bullous fixed drug eruption - A case report.

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is the most common cutaneous adverse drug reaction. Cefotaxime, a broad-spectrum third-generation cephalosporin, appeared to be a safe and effective therapy in greater than 90% of infections including cellulitis, abscesses and necrotizing ulcers of the skin and subcutaneous tissues but here we report a rare case of 36 years old female patient developed generalized bullous FDE after intravenous administration of Cefotaxime.

Chikungunya Virus: Pathophysiology, Mechanism, and Modeling.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus, is recurring in epidemic waves. In the past decade and a half, the disease has resurged in several countries around the globe, with outbreaks becoming increasingly severe. Though CHIKV was first isolated in 1952, there remain significant gaps in knowledge of CHIKV biology, pathogenesis, transmission, and mechanism. Diagnosis is largely simplified and based on symptoms, while treatment is supportive rather than curative. Here we present an overview of the disease, the challenges that lie ahead for future research, and what directions current studies are headed towards, with emphasis on improvement of current animal models and potential use of 3D models.