Technetium-99m Methoxyisobutyl Isonitrile Stress MPI in Suspected Coronary Artery Disease Patients: A Prospective Study to Evaluate Clinical Significance of Adenosine-induced ECG Changes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the adenosine pharmacological stress-induced electrocardiogram (ECG) changes and their association with stress-induced ischemic defects on myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to evaluate event-free survival among patients with positive and negative ECG/MPS image findings. Methods: A total of 100 patients were examined using stress MPS from March 2020 to August 2021. Stress-induced ECG changes during adenosine infusion were evaluated. The summed stress score (SSS) was evaluated to identify ischemic defects in myocardium. Association of stress ECG changes and scintigraphic results was evaluated. Results: Out of 100 patients, stress ECG changes during adenosine infusion were seen among 34 patients, whereas 66 patients had normal ECG findings. Positive stress MPS findings with SSS >3 were seen in 22 patients, whereas 78 patients had SSS ≤3. There was no agreement between stress ECG changes and MPS findings with Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ) = -0.023, whereas there was mild agreement between stress ECG changes and SSS >7 with κ = 0.105. Median follow-up of 11 months showed more events among patients with positive ECG changes than negative ECG changes. Conclusion: Adenosine, pharmacological stress is safe to use, but few patients might experience some minor and transient symptoms. Adenosine may induce ECG changes in patients with or without positive MPS findings. Patients with concordant positive findings need aggressive cardiac care, whereas patients with small or no defects on MPS need close monitoring.

Novel, Biosynthesis of Palladium Nanoparticles using Strychnos Potatorum Polysaccharide as a Green sustainable approach; and their effective Catalytic Hydrogenation of 4-Nitrophenol.

In the current study, we successfully used strychnos potatorum polysaccharide through autoclaving to synthesize palladium nanoparticles in a green, sustainable process. These polysaccharide act as a stabilizing, capping, and reducing agent. It also used various analytical characterizations, including UV-Visible spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), EDAX, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), TEM and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) are used to analyze biosynthesized pallidum nanoparticles (PdNPs). The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 276 nm and UV-visible spectroscopy revealed the presence of the generated PdNPs. The XRD data show that PdNPs have crystalline behavior and a pristine face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. The PdNPs were successfully developed by catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The catalytic activity and reusability of the environmentally friendly PdNPs catalyst were demonstrated by achieving a remarkable transformation of 95 % nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol after five cycles. The reaction rate constant (k) for the degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) using SP-PdNPs as a catalyst is 0.1201 min-1 and R2 0.9867, with a normalized rate constant of (Knor = K/m) of 7.206 s-1 mM-1. These findings provide fundamental knowledge of the catalytic process governing the hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol, which will help designers of effective catalysts. An innovative and affordable technique for creating PdNPs that are environmentally acceptable and can be utilized as effective catalysts in environmental applications is the use of strychnos potatorum gum polysaccharide. The green-synthesized PdNPs can be used for pollutant remediation, including pharmaceutical, domestic, heavy metal, industrial, and pesticide pollutants.

A Rare Finding of Pancreatic Involvement in a Case of Burkitt's Lymphoma.

Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive type of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. BL commonly occurs in children of age 4-7 years and is uncommon in adults, with a worse prognosis. Patients often present with a rapidly growing mass typically involving the abdomen (liver and spleen) and head and neck (nodes, jaw, and facial bones). Pancreas involvement is very rare and very few case reports have been documented so far. Fluorine-18 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 PET/CT) is a whole-body survey commonly used for initial staging evaluation. Here, we present an interesting case of BL in an adult female of 43 years, who presented with swelling in the left submandibular region after tooth extraction with multiorgan involvement found on F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT.

Lipid profile in healthy human volunteers before and after consuming ghee.

Food is a cause of concern due to its effect on health and disease. Diet affects the occurrence and progress of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and cancers. The exact dietary composition that helps in the prevention of diseases is not known. A higher intake of processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, Trans and saturated fats, and a lower intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains are generally considered as a poor-quality diet. Therefore, it is of interest to document the lipid profile in healthy human volunteers before and after consuming ghee. Fasting serum lipids were measured before and after the intervention. The effect of the intervention on all the subjects was analysed by comparing the post-intervention data. Data shows that TC and LDL-C are significantly decreased. However, other parameters showed insignificant change. The effect of the intervention on the normolipidaemia group was also analysed. There was no significant change. Thus, data shows that cow ghee consumption is not harmful to health.

Recruitment and retention of US South Asians for an epidemiologic cohort: Experience from the MASALA study.

INTRODUCTION: There are few longitudinal studies about South Asians (SAs) and little information about recruitment and retention approaches for this ethnic group. METHODS: We followed 906 SAs enrolled in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) cohort for 5 years. Surviving participants were invited for a second clinical exam from 2015 to 2018. A new wave of participants was recruited during 2017-2018. We assessed the yields from different methods of recruitment and retention. RESULTS: A total of 759 (83%) completed the second clinical exam, and 258 new participants were enrolled. Providing a nearby community hospital location for the study exam, offering cab/shared ride reimbursement, and conducting home visits were the most effective methods for enhancing retention. New participant recruitment targeted women and individuals with lower socioeconomic status, and we found that participant referrals and active community engagement were most effective. Mailing invitational letters to those identified by electronic health records had very low yield. CONCLUSION: Recruitment and retention strategies that address transportation barriers and increase community engagement will help increase the representation of SAs in health research.

Role of Val289 residue in the alpha-amylase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MTCC 610: an analysis by site directed mutagenesis.

The Val289 residue in the alpha-amylase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which is equivalent to the Ala289 and Val286 residues in the alpha-amylases of B. stearothermophilus and B. licheniformis, respectively, was studied by site-directed mutagenesis. This residue was substituted with 10 different amino acids by random substitution of the Val codon. In these mutant alpha-amylases, Val289 was substituted with Ile, Tyr, Phe, Leu, Gly, Pro, Ser, Arg, Glu, and Asp. Compared with the wild-type alpha-amylase, the mutant alpha-amylase Val289Ile showed 20% more hydrolytic activity, whereas Val289Phe and Val289Leu showed 50% lesser activity. On the other hand, the mutant alpha-amylases Val289Gly, Val289Tyr, Val289Ser, and Val289Pro showed less than 15% activity. The substitution of Val289 with Arg, Asp, or Glu resulted in complete loss of the alpha-amylase activity. Interestingly, the mutant alpha-amylase Val289Tyr had acquired a transglycosylation activity, which resulted in the change of product profile of the reaction, giving a longer oligosaccharide.

Effect of chromium on vertebrae, femur and calvaria of adult male rats.

Alloys of chromium have a long history of success in the surgical treatment of many orthopaedic defects. Nonetheless, prostheses loosening are commonly found around arthoplasties due to corrosion of metals. On this basis, it is hypothesized that chromium accumulation interferes with remodeling of bone. The present study aims to analyse the toxic effects of chromium on bone phosphatases in various regions of the bone in rats. Rats were treated with chromium intraperitoneally (0.5 mg/kg) in the form of potassium dichromate for 5 days. The accumulation of chromium is approximately 5.2-fold in the vertebrae, 8.9-fold in the femur and 8.7-fold in the calvaria, when compared to control. Chromium administration significantly reduced the activity of enzymes, eg, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). The study revealed a significant increase in the concentration of calcium, altered bone formation rate and bone morphology in the femur, vertebrae and calvaria. The interesting findings of the current study suggest altered bone turnover.