Quantification of vascular changes in macular telangiectasia type 2 with AngioTool software.

PURPOSE: To compare AngioTool (AT) vascular parameters (VP) between MacTel2 eyes and normal eyes. Secondary outcome measures were to correlate VP with BCVA and to analyze VP between various grades of Simple MacTel Classification. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. SD OCTA images of the superficial vascular complex (SVC) and deep capillary complex (DVC) were exported into Image J and AT. The explant area (EA), vessel area (VA), vessel percentage area (VPA), total number of junctions (TNJ), junction density (JD), total vessel length (TVL), average vessel length (AVL), total number of endpoints (TNE) and mean E lacunarity (MEL) were studied. RESULTS: Group 1 had 120 MacTel2 eyes. Group 2 had 60 age-matched normal eyes. All VP were significantly different between the two groups except EA and TNE in both complexes. None of the VP had a correlation with BCVA. Interquadrant analysis (IQA) in SVC and DVC showed statistical significance in VPA, AVL and JD and in AVL, TNE, JD, VPA respectively. Post hoc analysis in SVC and DVC showed statistical significance in TNJ, JD, TVL and AVL between grade 1 and grade 3, and in VA, VPA, TNJ, JD, TVL and MEL between grade 0 and grade 3 respectively. CONCLUSION: VP were affected in MacTel2 eyes. VP did not correlate with BCVA. Occurrence of pigmentation is an important event in the progression of disease. AT may provide quantitative markers to measure disease progression.

Comparative analysis of social media-based interventions for adolescent reproductive health education.

This research paper explores the impact of social media-based interventions on adolescent reproductive health education, acknowledging the digital residency of today's youth. Utilizing a Solomon Four Group Design, the study assesses the efficacy of tailored interventions on various digital platforms, emphasizing the value, impact, and relevance of innovative educational approaches, particularly those employed by social media. The paper highlights adolescents' pervasive presence on social media, including platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as integral components of their online experiences. Leveraging these platforms for health education is considered crucial, aligning with adolescents' digital behaviors and preferences. Ethical challenges in the digital health domain are discussed, underscoring the importance of privacy, consent, and responsible content creation. To tailor interventions effectively, the research explores platform-specific preferences, recognizing the diverse usage patterns among adolescents. The paper concludes with a comprehensive analysis of the intervention's impact, revealing significant improvements in reproductive health knowledge among participants exposed to social media-based education. In essence, the paper advocates for the integration of health education into the digital spaces where adolescents naturally reside, recognizing the transformative potential of social media in enhancing reproductive health knowledge.Cette étude examine l'impact des interventions en santé reproductive pour les adolescents basées sur les médias sociaux, tenant compte de la résidence numérique de la jeunesse d'aujourd'hui. En utilisant un modèle de conception à quatre groupes de Solomon, l'étude évalue l'efficacité des interventions personnalisées sur différentes plateformes numériques, mettant l'accent sur la valeur, l'impact et la pertinence des approches pédagogiques innovantes, en particulier celles utilisées par les médias sociaux. Le document met en évidence la présence omniprésente des adolescents sur les médias sociaux, y compris des plateformes telles qu'Instagram, Twitter et Facebook, en tant que composants intégraux de leurs expériences en ligne. L'utilisation de ces plates-formes pour l'éducation à la santé est considérée comme cruciale, s'alignant sur les comportements numériques et les préférences des adolescents. Les défis éthiques dans le domaine de la santé numérique sont discutés, soulignant l'importance de la confidentialité, du consentement et de la création responsable de contenu. Pour adapter efficacement les interventions, la recherche explore les préférences spécifiques à chaque plateforme, reconnaissant les différents schémas d'utilisation chez les adolescents. Le document se termine par une analyse complète de l'impact de l'intervention, révélant des améliorations significatives des connaissances en santé reproductive parmi les participants exposés à l'éducation basée sur les médias sociaux. En essence, le document plaide en faveur de l'intégration de l'éducation à la santé dans les espaces numériques où les adolescents résident naturellement, reconnaissant le potentiel transformateur des médias sociaux dans l'amélioration des connaissances en santé reproductive.

Effect of Prosthetic Rehabilitation on Airway Space in Edentulous Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea- a Preliminary Observational Study.

Statement of the Problem: The common causes of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are identified as anatomic and/or functional abnormality in the oral cavity, oropharynx, velopharynx, and hypopharynx leading to compromised airway space and increased collapsibility. Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of implant-supported mandibular complete denture in improving the airway space among completely edentulous patients with OSA and compare it with conventional complete denture. Materials and Method: In this observational study, completely edentulous individuals were screened with snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, high blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference, and gender (STOP-Bang) questionnaire to evaluate the incidence of OSA. Ten mild-moderate patients were included as study participants. Lateral cephalograms (L1) made at the edentulous state was considered baseline. They were rehabilitated with complete denture prosthesis. One week after denture insertion, two implants were placed in the edentulous mandibular arch. Delayed loading protocol was followed. Lateral cephalogram (L2) was made 6 months after complete denture insertion and 6 months after implant-supported prosthesis (L3). Cephalometric tracings were used to evaluate change in upper airway space (UAS), middle airway space (MAS), and lower airway space (LAS). Repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate statistical significance in the airway measurements made at the three intervals. Post hoc Tukey HSD and Bonferroni test were used to assess if the differences obtained were truly significant. Results: Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in UAS, MAS and LAS between L1, L2 and L3 (p< 0.05). Post hoc Tukey HSD indicated that UAS increased significantly at all three intervals followed by LAS and MAS respectively (α=.05). Post hoc Bon-ferroni test indicated that implant-supported mandibular complete dentures had a significant improvement in airway space when compared to conventional complete dentures (α=.05). Conclusion: Implant-supported mandibular complete denture could be effective in edentulous patients with mild-moderate OSA.

Whole-genome sequencing of chronic lymphocytic leukemia identifies subgroups with distinct biological and clinical features.

The value of genome-wide over targeted driver analyses for predicting clinical outcomes of cancer patients is debated. Here, we report the whole-genome sequencing of 485 chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients enrolled in clinical trials as part of the United Kingdom's 100,000 Genomes Project. We identify an extended catalog of recurrent coding and noncoding genetic mutations that represents a source for future studies and provide the most complete high-resolution map of structural variants, copy number changes and global genome features including telomere length, mutational signatures and genomic complexity. We demonstrate the relationship of these features with clinical outcome and show that integration of 186 distinct recurrent genomic alterations defines five genomic subgroups that associate with response to therapy, refining conventional outcome prediction. While requiring independent validation, our findings highlight the potential of whole-genome sequencing to inform future risk stratification in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

A Case Report on Implant-Supported Telescopic Prosthesis-A Gerodontic Enhancement.

One of the most challenging and demanding endeavors in the field of prosthodontics is the rehabilitation of an edentulous mandible. Implants have been used to support mandibular or maxillary prosthetic rehabilitation. Advantages of using implants are increased retention, increased chewing ability, and also easy access to oral hygiene procedures. For decades, the use of telescopic and conical crowns are in practice to connect natural teeth and not many cases have been reported in the literature of telescopic crowns placed on implants to support the prosthesis. Telescopic crowns provide the best possible distribution of force to the abutment teeth and can improve the patient's oral health-related quality of life. The use of telescopic crowns as attachments for implant-supported overlying prostheses may be a viable treatment option for edentulous mandible. The functional and the aesthetic enhancement by telescopic retainers are favorable features for many challenging situations. This case report discusses a 60-year-old male, who reported to the department of prosthodontics with three implants and two bi-cortical screws that were placed in a completely edentulous mandibular arch by a private practitioner one year back and this situation was prosthodontically managed by us with an implant-supported telescopic removable prosthesis.

Evaluation of Pulmonary Hypoplasia in Various Congenital Anomalies with a Comparison of Two Conventional Methods of Assessment: Radial Alveolar Count (RAC) and Lung Weight: Body Weight Ratio (LBW).

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary hypoplasia is common in the perinatal period and causes death in newborn infants. It is commonly associated with a number of malformation syndromes. Various parameters are used to estimate pulmonary hypoplasia at fetal autopsy including Lung Weight Body Weight ratio (LW:BW), Radial Alveolar Count (RAC) and DNA estimation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This study was carried out as a retrospective analysis of 108 lung specimens of fetuses with congenital anomalies for a period of five years. All terminated fetuses with anomalies were received with 10% formalin. An inverted Y-shaped incision was made on the fetus to remove the lungs. Lung weight and body weight were measured and the ratio was calculated. Morphometric estimation of RAC was done microscopically by counting the number of alveoli using the Q capture software. RAC was calculated based on gestational age. RESULTS: Among the restrictive lung diseases, pulmonary hypoplasia by the LW:BW ratio was prevalent in 43% while the same by RAC was 19%. Similarly, pulmonary hypoplasia by the LW:BW ratio was prevalent in 35% while the same by RAC was 26% among cases with non restrictive lung diseases. Oligohydramnios showed the highest prevalence of pulmonary hypoplasia (23.7%), followed by renal anomalies (16.9%) and CNS anomalies (15.2%). CONCLUSION: Pulmonary hypoplasia is a common occurrence in many congenital anomalies, premature rupture of membranes, and hydrops fetalis. Identifying the anomaly during the intrauterine period will help to anticipate and accordingly manage the baby in the postpartum period. Early diagnosis of correctable condition like oligohydramnios will also help in the early intervention and prevention of pulmonary hypoplasia.

Ensembl Genomes 2020-enabling non-vertebrate genomic research.

Ensembl Genomes (http://www.ensemblgenomes.org) is an integrating resource for genome-scale data from non-vertebrate species, complementing the resources for vertebrate genomics developed in the context of the Ensembl project (http://www.ensembl.org). Together, the two resources provide a consistent set of interfaces to genomic data across the tree of life, including reference genome sequence, gene models, transcriptional data, genetic variation and comparative analysis. Data may be accessed via our website, online tools platform and programmatic interfaces, with updates made four times per year (in synchrony with Ensembl). Here, we provide an overview of Ensembl Genomes, with a focus on recent developments. These include the continued growth, more robust and reproducible sets of orthologues and paralogues, and enriched views of gene expression and gene function in plants. Finally, we report on our continued deeper integration with the Ensembl project, which forms a key part of our future strategy for dealing with the increasing quantity of available genome-scale data across the tree of life.

4-Nonylphenol-enhanced EZH2 and RNF2 expression, H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub1 marks resulting in silencing of p21CDKN1A in vitro.

Aim: To examine the impact of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), on the expression of polycomb repressive complexes and cellular proliferation. Materials & methods: Cell proliferation assays, quantitative PCR, Western blotting, luciferase reporter assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR were used for the study. Results: The 4-NP at 100 nM concentration significantly increased proliferation of MCF-7 cells. It enhanced the expression of RNF2-BMI1 and EZH2-SUZ12 and concomitantly increased H2AK119ub1 and H3K27me3 repressive marks at p21 proximal promoter resulting in its reduced expression. Selective inhibition of RNF2 or EZH2 reverted the 4-NP action. The phospho-CREB, SP1 and E2F-1 are enriched at proximal promoter of RNF2 and EZH2 and cyclin D1, but not p21. Conclusion: The 4-NP-mediated upregulation of RNF2 and EZH2 resulted in epigenetic silencing of p21.

Is It Time to Move Toward Freeze-All Strategy? - A Retrospective Study Comparing Live Birth Rates between Fresh and First Frozen Blastocyst Transfer.

BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation of all embryos followed by transfer in subsequent cycles has emerged as an effective alternative to fresh embryo transfer (ET) in order to overcome the negative effect of superovulation on endometrial receptivity. AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the reproductive outcomes between fresh ET and first frozen ET (FET) from "freeze-all" group of embryos. SETTING: This study was conducted at a private in vitro fertilization center. DESIGN: This was a retrospective study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 503 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria between 2012 and 2017 were included. Of 503, 386 patients underwent fresh ET and 117 patients underwent FET following cryopreservation of all embryos. The results of only first FET were considered to eliminate the confounding factor of poor-quality embryos in subsequent transfer. RESULTS: FET resulted in statistically significant higher live birth rate (44.44% vs. 33.41%), implantation rate (45.08% vs. 30.22%), and clinical pregnancy rate (57.26% vs. 38.6%) compared to fresh ETs. No difference was observed in the abortion rate between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Reproductive outcomes were significantly better in the freeze-all group compared to fresh ET suggesting that the altered hormone levels during controlled ovarian stimulation could mediate an asynchrony between the endometrium and the transferred embryos, leading to implantation failure.

Mechanism and Regulation of Autophagy in Cancer.

Autophagy, or self-eating, is a catabolic process that plays a crucial role in cellular homeostasis by carrying out bulk degradation of defective or superfluous proteins as well as worn-out organelles through a specialized structure, the autophagosome, which in turn fuses with the lysosome. Autophagy also alleviates cellular stress induced by nutrient deprivation, metabolic disturbance, hypoxia, and the like, by recycling intracellular constituents. This role of autophagy, to provide metabolic precursors especially upon starvation, might also contribute to the survival of cancer cells. The role of autophagy in cancer cells is ambiguous given that its downregulation or upregulation has been observed to depend on cancer stage and pathological grade. Autophagy has been found to exhibit a dual effect on tumorigenesis where it functions to suppress tumor progression by eliminating factors that cause genome instability while promoting survival of cancer cells under unfavorable conditions like therapeutic stress. This review aims to explain the mechanism, regulation, and the dual role of autophagy in cancer.

Integrative analysis of large scale transcriptome data draws a comprehensive landscape of Phaeodactylum tricornutum genome and evolutionary origin of diatoms.

Diatoms are one of the most successful and ecologically important groups of eukaryotic phytoplankton in the modern ocean. Deciphering their genomes is a key step towards better understanding of their biological innovations, evolutionary origins, and ecological underpinnings. Here, we have used 90 RNA-Seq datasets from different growth conditions combined with published expressed sequence tags and protein sequences from multiple taxa to explore the genome of the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and introduce 1,489 novel genes. The new annotation additionally permitted the discovery of extensive alternative splicing in diatoms, including intron retention and exon skipping, which increase the diversity of transcripts generated in changing environments. In addition, we have used up-to-date reference sequence libraries to dissect the taxonomic origins of diatom genes. We show that the P. tricornutum genome is enriched in lineage-specific genes, with up to 47% of the gene models present only possessing orthologues in other stramenopile groups. Finally, we have performed a comprehensive de novo annotation of repetitive elements showing novel classes of transposable elements such as SINE, MITE and TRIM/LARD. This work provides a solid foundation for future studies of diatom gene function, evolution and ecology.

Correction to: Licarin A induces cell death by activation of autophagy and apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Licarin A induces cell death by activation of autophagy and apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Lung cancer has a relatively poor prognosis with a low survival rate and drugs that target other cell death mechanism like autophagy may help improving current therapeutic strategy. This study investigated the anti-proliferative effect of Licarin A (LCA) from Myristica fragrans in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines-A549, NCI-H23, NCI-H520 and NCI-H460. LCA inhibited proliferation of all the four cell lines in a dose and time dependent manner with minimum IC50 of 20.03 ± 3.12, 22.19 ± 1.37 µM in NCI-H23 and A549 cells respectively. Hence NCI-H23 and A549 cells were used to assess the ability LCA to induce autophagy and apoptosis. LCA treatment caused G1 arrest, increase in Beclin 1, LC3II levels and degradation of p62 indicating activation of autophagy in both NCI-H23 and A549 cells. In addition, LCA mediated apoptotic cell death was confirmed by MMP loss, increased ROS, cleaved PARP and decreased pro-caspase3. To understand the role of LCA induced autophagy and its association with apoptosis, cells were analysed following treatment with a late autophagy inhibitor-chloroquine and also after Beclin 1 siRNA transfection. Data indicated that inhibition of autophagy resulted in reduced anti-proliferative as well as pro-apoptotic ability of LCA. These findings confirmed that LCA brought about autophagy dependent apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells and hence it may serve as a potential drug candidate for non-small cell lung cancer therapy.

Ensembl Genomes 2018: an integrated omics infrastructure for non-vertebrate species.

Ensembl Genomes (http://www.ensemblgenomes.org) is an integrating resource for genome-scale data from non-vertebrate species, complementing the resources for vertebrate genomics developed in the Ensembl project (http://www.ensembl.org). Together, the two resources provide a consistent set of programmatic and interactive interfaces to a rich range of data including genome sequence, gene models, transcript sequence, genetic variation, and comparative analysis. This paper provides an update to the previous publications about the resource, with a focus on recent developments and expansions. These include the incorporation of almost 20 000 additional genome sequences and over 35 000 tracks of RNA-Seq data, which have been aligned to genomic sequence and made available for visualization. Other advances since 2015 include the release of the database in Resource Description Framework (RDF) format, a large increase in community-derived curation, a new high-performance protein sequence search, additional cross-references, improved annotation of non-protein-coding genes, and the launch of pre-release and archival sites. Collectively, these changes are part of a continuing response to the increasing quantity of publicly-available genome-scale data, and the consequent need to archive, integrate, annotate and disseminate these using automated, scalable methods.

First Draft Genome Sequence of a UK Strain (UK99) of Fusarium culmorum.

Fusarium culmorum is a soilborne fungal plant pathogen that causes foot and root rot and Fusarium head blight on small-grain cereals, in particular on wheat and barley. We report herein the draft genome sequence of a 1998 field strain called FcUK99 adapted to the temperate climate found in England.

PhytoPath: an integrative resource for plant pathogen genomics.

PhytoPath (www.phytopathdb.org) is a resource for genomic and phenotypic data from plant pathogen species, that integrates phenotypic data for genes from PHI-base, an expertly curated catalog of genes with experimentally verified pathogenicity, with the Ensembl tools for data visualization and analysis. The resource is focused on fungi, protists (oomycetes) and bacterial plant pathogens that have genomes that have been sequenced and annotated. Genes with associated PHI-base data can be easily identified across all plant pathogen species using a BioMart-based query tool and visualized in their genomic context on the Ensembl genome browser. The PhytoPath resource contains data for 135 genomic sequences from 87 plant pathogen species, and 1364 genes curated for their role in pathogenicity and as targets for chemical intervention. Support for community annotation of gene models is provided using the WebApollo online gene editor, and we are working with interested communities to improve reference annotation for selected species.

Ensembl Genomes 2016: more genomes, more complexity.

Ensembl Genomes (http://www.ensemblgenomes.org) is an integrating resource for genome-scale data from non-vertebrate species, complementing the resources for vertebrate genomics developed in the context of the Ensembl project (http://www.ensembl.org). Together, the two resources provide a consistent set of programmatic and interactive interfaces to a rich range of data including reference sequence, gene models, transcriptional data, genetic variation and comparative analysis. This paper provides an update to the previous publications about the resource, with a focus on recent developments. These include the development of new analyses and views to represent polyploid genomes (of which bread wheat is the primary exemplar); and the continued up-scaling of the resource, which now includes over 23 000 bacterial genomes, 400 fungal genomes and 100 protist genomes, in addition to 55 genomes from invertebrate metazoa and 39 genomes from plants. This dramatic increase in the number of included genomes is one part of a broader effort to automate the integration of archival data (genome sequence, but also associated RNA sequence data and variant calls) within the context of reference genomes and make it available through the Ensembl user interfaces.

Comparative evaluation of effect of different irrigation solutions against Enterococcus faecalis: A polymerase chain reaction-based study.

UNLABELLED: Enterococcus faecalis is the most isolated or detected species from oral infections including marginal periodontitis, infected root canals, periradicular abscesses and also detected in cases of failed endodontic therapy. To prevent endodontic treatment failure irrigation is mandatory for the effective removal of smear layer, pulp tissue, and microorganisms. Cultivation and other traditional identification methods have been demonstrated to have several limitations when it comes to microbiological identification. Polymerase chain reaction was selected because it has an added advantage over traditional microbiological methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty single rooted premolars were taken were taken stored in 0.1% thymol solution at 4°C decoronated to obtain 12 mm length, teeth were autoclaved at 121°C, canals were instrumented up to 35k file (International Organization for Standardization). The samples were randomly divided into three groups Group I - 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCL) and 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Group - II 5.25% NaOCL and 2% chlorhexidine (CHX), Group III - 5.25% NaOCL and 17% EDTA and 2% CHX. RESULTS: The results showed that Group III which is 5% NaOCl followed by 17% EDTA and followed by 2% CHX showed maximum antimicrobial activity in all the three different time intervals.

Effects of conventional vs game-based oral health education on children's oral health-related knowledge and oral hygiene status - a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of conventional and game-based oral health education on the oral health-related knowledge and oral hygiene status among 5- to 10-year-old schoolchildren. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 children aged 5 to 10 years were divided into 2 groups. Each group had 30 children aged 5 to 7 years and 30 children aged 8 to 10 years. A pretest evaluation of their knowledge regarding oral health and the estimation of Debris Index-Simplified (DI-S) was carried out. Children in group A were given oral health education through flash cards once daily for 7 days. Children in group B were educated through the play method (i.e. snakes and ladders game combined with flash cards). The evaluations regarding oral hygiene and DI-S were recorded on post-intervention day 1 and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: In group B, high knowledge scores of 14.6 and 14.47 were obtained by the 5- to 7-year-olds and 8- to 10-yearolds, respectively, on post-intervention day 1. The lowest mean percentage difference of 8.9 was seen in 5- to 7-yearold children of group A after 3 months. In group B (5-7 and 8-10) and group A (8-10) there was a significant increase in good oral hygiene scores and a significant decrease in fair and poor debris scores on post-intervention day 1 and at the 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: The knowledge scores of both the younger and older groups of children increased considerably when the game-based teaching intervention was used. Hence, it can be an effective aid for teaching basic oral health concepts to children.