Traffic coordination by reducing jamming attackers in VANET using probabilistic Manhattan Grid Topology for automobile applications.

In recent years Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) has been growing interest in the development of vehicular communication technology. The traffic in India shows considerable fluctuations owing to the static and dynamic characteristics of road vehicles in VANET (Vehicular Adhoc Network). These vehicles take up a convenient side lane position on the road, disregarding lane discipline. They utilize the opposing lane to overtake slower-moving vehicles, even when there are oncoming vehicles approaching. The primary objective of this study is to minimize injuries resulting from vehicle interactions in mixed traffic conditions on undivided roads. This is achieved through the implementation of the Modified Manhattan grid topology, which primarily serves to guide drivers in the correct path when navigating undivided roads. Furthermore, the Fuzzy C-Means algorithm (FCM) is applied to detect potential jamming attackers, while the Modified Fisheye State Routing (MFSR) Algorithm is employed to minimize the amount of information exchanged among vehicles. Subsequently, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is developed to enhance the accuracy of determining the coordinates of jamming attackers within individual clusters. The effectiveness of the outcomes is affirmed through the utilization of the Fuzzy C-Means algorithm, showcasing a notable 30% reduction in the number of attackers, along with the attainment of a 70% accuracy rate in this research endeavor.

Epitope variances demonstrated by Blastocystis sp. ST3 symptomatic and asymptomatic isolates.

Blastocystis sp. is an enteric protozoan parasite of humans and many animals. Blastocystis sp. subtype 3 (ST3) proves to be the highest frequency case in most populations around the world and it is further distinguished into symptomatic and asymptomatic isolates based on the clinical symptoms exhibited by infected individuals. Phenotypic and genotypic studies implicate the distinctiveness of this parasite which may describe its pathogenesis. However, the antigenic distinctiveness which describes the antibody mediated cell lysis of this parasite has not been explored. This study was aimed to identify the cross-reactivity and cytotoxicity effect between three isolates of symptomatic and asymptomatic Blastocystis sp. ST3 respectively. Antigen specificity and diversity of this parasite was performed by coculturing sera (10-fold dilution) obtained from mice immunised with Blastocystis sp. symptomatic and asymptomatic antigens and the respective Blastocystis sp. ST3 live cells through complement dependant cell cytotoxicity (CDC) assay. The results obtained has shown that, the sera (at 10-fold diluted concentration) from symptomatic and asymptomatic solubilised antigen immunised mice were able to specifically lyse the respective live parasites with an average percentage of 82% and 86% respectively. There were almost 50% crossreactivity observed between the three isolates of Blastocystis sp. ST3 from symptomatic and asymptomatic group proving high antigen diversity or rather low antigen specificity within the same group. However, there was only 17% cross-reactivity observed between the mice sera and parasitic cells of different groups (symptomatic vs asymptomatic isolates) suggesting high specificity between these two groups. We, for the first time have proven that through CDC analysis there were epitopes dissimilarities between Blastocystis sp. ST3 symptomatic and asymptomatic isolates which may allow the parasite to set up diverse immune modulations such as imbalanced Th1/Th2 responses in an infected host.

Epitope variances demonstrated by Blastocystis sp. ST3 symptomatic and asymptomatic isolates

@#Blastocystis sp. is an enteric protozoan parasite of humans and many animals. Blastocystis sp. subtype 3 (ST3) proves to be the highest frequency case in most populations around the world and it is further distinguished into symptomatic and asymptomatic isolates based on the clinical symptoms exhibited by infected individuals. Phenotypic and genotypic studies implicate the distinctiveness of this parasite which may describe its pathogenesis. However, the antigenic distinctiveness which describes the antibody mediated cell lysis of this parasite has not been explored. This study was aimed to identify the cross-reactivity and cytotoxicity effect between three isolates of symptomatic and asymptomatic Blastocystis sp. ST3 respectively. Antigen specificity and diversity of this parasite was performed by coculturing sera (10-fold dilution) obtained from mice immunised with Blastocystis sp. symptomatic and asymptomatic antigens and the respective Blastocystis sp. ST3 live cells through complement dependant cell cytotoxicity (CDC) assay. The results obtained has shown that, the sera (at 10-fold diluted concentration) from symptomatic and asymptomatic solubilised antigen immunised mice were able to specifically lyse the respective live parasites with an average percentage of 82% and 86% respectively. There were almost 50% crossreactivity observed between the three isolates of Blastocystis sp. ST3 from symptomatic and asymptomatic group proving high antigen diversity or rather low antigen specificity within the same group. However, there was only 17% cross-reactivity observed between the mice sera and parasitic cells of different groups (symptomatic vs asymptomatic isolates) suggesting high specificity between these two groups. We, for the first time have proven that through CDC analysis there were epitopes dissimilarities between Blastocystis sp. ST3 symptomatic and asymptomatic isolates which may allow the parasite to set up diverse immune modulations such as imbalanced Th1/Th2 responses in an infected host.

Lauric acid induce cell death in colon cancer cells mediated by the epidermal growth factor receptor downregulation: An in silico and in vitro study.

Coconut oil (CO) is enriched with medium chain saturated fatty acids like lauric acid (LA), capric acid and caprylic acid, which are known to have several health benefits. LA, the predominant fatty acid in CO, is reported to possess anticancer activity mediated through oxidative stress-induced apoptosis; however, there is no clear information on its cellular signalling mechanism. The present study screened the anticancer potential of various fatty acids present in CO (capric acid, caprylic acid and LA) using in silico tools such as CDOCKER in Accelrys Discovery Studio by targeting proteins like epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cyclin-dependent kinase and thymidine synthase (TS). The results were further confirmed using cell culture-based studies and quantitative PCR. Among the tested compounds, LA was found to be the most active and showed a higher affinity towards EGFR and TS. Corroborating with these results, LA-induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity towards HCT-15 (human colon cancer), HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and Raw 264.7 (murine macrophages) cells exhibiting morphological characteristics of apoptosis. Further, in HCT-15 cells exposed to LA (30 and 50 µg/mL), the expression of EGFR was found to be downregulated by 1.33- and 1.58-fold. The study thus concludes that the anticancer activity of LA may be partially mediated by the downregulation of EGFR signalling and consequent reduction in cell viability through apoptosis. Since EGFR signalling is crucial in cancer cell survival and is a prime target in drug development, the present study has pharmacological significance.

NO2 gas sensing performance enhancement based on reduced graphene oxide decorated V2O5 thin films.

Here, we demonstrate improved NO2 gas sensing properties based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) decorated V2O5 thin film. Excluding the DC sputtering grown V2O5 thin film, rGO was spread over V2O5 thin film by the drop cast method. The formation of several p-n heterojunctions was greatly affected by the current-voltage relation of the rGO-decorated V2O5 thin film due to the p-type and n-type nature of rGO and V2O5, respectively. Initially with rGO decoration on V2O5 thin film, current decreased in comparison to the pristine V2O5 thin film, whereas depositing rGO film on a glass substrate drastically increased current. Among all sensors, only the rGO-decorated V2O5 sensor revealed a maximum NO2 gas sensing response for 100 ppm at 150 °C, and it achieved an approximately 61% higher response than the V2O5 sensor. The elaborate mechanism for an extremely high sensing response is attributed to the formation and modulation of p-n heterojunctions at the interface of rGO and V2O5. In addition, the presence of active sites like oxygenous functional groups on the rGO surface enhanced the sensing response. On that account, sensors based on rGO-decorated V2O5 thin film are highly suitable for the purpose of NO2 gas sensing. They enable the timely detection of the gas, further protecting the ecosystem from its harmful effects.

A study on the safety evaluation of buphrenorphine administered through an autoinjector compared with manual injection using haematological and biochemical variables in rats.

Buprenorphine drug cartridge was made for autoinjector device for use in emergency and critical situations to reduce the morbidity and mortality. Water-filled cartridges were prepared and buprenorphine was injected aseptically in the cartridge, to make 0.05 and 0.10 mg/mL. Rats were injected intraperitoneally, buprenorphine (0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg), repeatedly with the autoinjector and compared with manual injection (7 days and 14 days) using various haematological and biochemical parameters. No significant change was observed in the body weight, organ to body weight ratio and haematological variables in any of the experimental groups compared with the control group. Except serum urea and aspartate aminotransferase, no significant change was observed in glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, bilirubin, protein, albumin, creatinine, uric acid, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase. The autoinjectors deliver the drugs with spray effect and force for faster absorption. In the present study, the autoinjector meant for intramuscular injection was injected intraperitoneally in rats, and the drug was delivered with force on the vital organs. No significant difference was observed in the autoinjector group compared to the manual group showing tolerability and safety of the buphrenorphine autoinjector. This study shows that buprenorphine autoinjector can be considered for further research work.

The utility of the nonattenuation corrected 18F-FDG PET images in the characterization of solitary pulmonary lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of nonattenuation corrected (NAC) F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-FDG PET) images in the evaluation of solitary pulmonary lesion as compared with more established methods. METHODS: Fifty-six patients received F-FDG PET/CT for diagnosing solitary pulmonary nodules or mass lesions based on histopathology (n=39) and clinical follow-up (n=17). Visual pulmonary lesion FDG uptake was graded by consensus of two nuclear medicine physicians on both attenuation corrected (AC) [absent, less than mediastinal blood pool (MBP), equal to MBP, greater than MBP] and NAC (absent, less than skin, equal to skin, greater than skin) images. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were also measured from AC images. SUV, visual AC, and visual NAC methods' diagnostic performances were compared, distinguishing benign from malignant pulmonary nodules. RESULTS: There were 34 malignant and 22 benign lesions. Lesion diameter varied from 5 to 100 mm (mean ± SD, 24.0 ± 17.9 mm). The NAC, AC, and SUV method sensitivities and specificities were 100/64%, 91/59%, and 79/77%, respectively. For lesions less than 3 cm, NAC, AC, and SUV methods yielded accuracies of 85%, 78%, and 73%, respectively. The NAC method was the most sensitive and accurate especially for small nodules. CONCLUSION: Visual assessment of NAC F-FDG PET images alone may provide a more accurate characterization of solitary pulmonary lesions.

Interobserver variability among measurements of the maximum and mean standardized uptake values on (18)F-FDG PET/CT and measurements of tumor size on diagnostic CT in patients with pulmonary tumors.

BACKGROUND: (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) imaging has been shown to be an accurate method for diagnosing pulmonary lesions, and the standardized uptake value (SUV) has been shown to be useful in differentiating benign from malignant lesions. PURPOSE: To survey the interobserver variability of SUV(max) and SUV(mean) measurements on (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans and compare them with tumor size measurements on diagnostic CT scans in the same group of patients with focal pulmonary lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-three pulmonary nodules were measured on both (18)F-FDG PET/CT and diagnostic chest CT examinations. Four independent readers measured the SUV(max) and SUV(mean) of the (18)F-FDG PET images, and the unidimensional nodule size of the diagnostic CT scans (UD(CT)) in all nodules. The region of interest (ROI) for the SUV measurements was drawn manually around each tumor on all consecutive slices that contained the nodule. The interobserver reliability and variability, represented by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (COV), respectively, were compared among the three parameters. The correlation between the SUV(max) and SUV(mean) was also analyzed. RESULTS: There was 100% agreement in the SUV(max) measurements among the 4 readers in the 43 pulmonary tumors. The ICCs for the SUV(max), SUV(mean), and UD(CT) by the four readers were 1.00, 0.97, and 0.97, respectively. The root-mean-square values of the COVs for the SUV(max), SUV(mean), and UD(CT) by the four readers were 0%, 13.56%, and 11.03%, respectively. There was a high correlation observed between the SUV(max) and SUV(mean) (Pearson's r=0.958; P <0.01). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the SUV(max) of lung nodules can be calculated without any interobserver variation. These findings indicate that SUV(max) is a more valuable parameter than the SUV(mean) or UD(CT) for the evaluation of therapeutic effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy on serial studies.

Experience with an electronic brachytherapy technique for intracavitary accelerated partial breast irradiation.

OBJECTIVES: Phase IV study evaluated the safety and device performance of an electronic brachytherapy system (Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System) as adjuvant therapy for early-stage breast cancer. METHODS: Patients were > or =50 years of age and had completely resected invasive ductal carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ (<2.0 cm), with N0 M0 and negative microscopic margins of > or =1 mm. The balloon applicator was placed in a closed cavity with a balloon surface to skin distance of > or =7 mm. The prescribed dose was 3.4 Gy/fraction prescribed to 1 cm beyond the balloon surface twice daily (BID) for 10 fractions. RESULTS: Of 65 patients consented, 21 (32%) were not eligible for treatment, and 44 (68%) were treated, with 6-months follow-up in 43 and 1-year follow-up in 36. The prescribed radiation treatment was successfully delivered in 42/44 (95.4%) patients; one was unsuccessful due to a controller issue and the other declined the final fraction following a balloon deflation. Side effects were as anticipated and generally manageable. Four CTCAE v3 grade 3 toxicities were reported: blistering (1), breast tenderness (1), and moist desquamation (2); all have resolved. The most common grade 2 toxicity was erythema. There were no device-related serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Early experience demonstrates that the electronic brachytherapy system performed as expected. Electronic brachytherapy has similar acute toxicity profiles to other high dose rate approaches for accelerated partial breast irradiation and offers the convenience of having the treatment in an unshielded room.

Breast lesions incidentally detected with CT: what the general radiologist needs to know.

Although breast abnormalities are frequently overlooked at multidetector computed tomography (CT) or inaccurately assessed, multidetector CT can reveal sufficient detail in many cases to allow confident diagnosis. It is important for general radiologists to characterize breast lesions incidentally found at CT as benign, indeterminate, or sufficiently suspicious to warrant further work-up. Irregular margins, irregular shape, and rim enhancement are the features most predictive of malignancy. Postoperative changes in the breast may mimic a malignancy; therefore, it is important to obtain an accurate history as to the timing of biopsy or surgery and to follow the changes in lesion morphology over time. Any mass with benign features at CT requires additional validation of benignity with demonstration of long-term stability or additional diagnostic mammographic work-up with or without sonographic evaluation. Accurate description and classification of breast lesions detected with CT enhance the value of the radiologist's report and contribute to appropriate case management.

Risk factors and associated problems in the management of infections with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

PURPOSE: It is necessary to define the problem of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in every hospital to evolve control strategies. The objectives of this study were to determine factors influencing the persistence of MRSA in patients with hospital acquired infection and to identify alternate cost effective antibiotics. METHODS: A six month study was carried out for 50 patients with MRSA infection. Treatment modalities and risk factors were determined by a preset protocol. Minimum inhibitory concentration of commonly used antibiotics was determined. RESULTS: The risk factors were prolonged postoperative morbidity, prior antibiotic therapy and emergency admissions. Seventy percent of the isolates were from postoperative cases undergoing emergency surgeries. Isolation was highest during the second week of hospital stay. Emergency admissions had a significantly higher chance of early isolation. Prior treatment with multiple antibiotics in 38% was found to be another major risk factor. Ofloxacin was seen to be efficacious in a small percentage of cases. Rifampicin in combination with ofloxacin and clindamycin were found to be other good alternatives. Ofloxacin was found to be the cheapest and vancomycin the most expensive, for a full course of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Minimizing risk factors and attention to alternate cost effective combination therapy may ease the problem of management of infections with MRSA.

Biodistribution of a 153 Gd-folate dendrimer, generation = 4, in mice with folate-receptor positive and negative ovarian tumor xenografts.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: An important characteristic of targeted contrast agents is how they are tolerated in a biologic environment and their localization in the surrounding tissues in addition to target tissue. We evaluate the biodistribution of a gadolinium Gd 153-folate-dendrimer in high affinity folate-receptor (hFR) positive and negative ovarian tumor xenografts. METHODS: The 153Gd-folate-dendrimer chelate was prepared by exchanging 153Gd with nonradioactive gadolinium for 1 week, followed by extensive filtration. Athymic mice with hFR-positive (n = 3) and negative tumors (n = 3) were injected intravenously and counted using a whole-body counting system with a 80 to 150 keV counting window. RESULTS: The hFR-positive tumors accumulate 3.6% +/- 2.8% injected dose/g, whereas only background counts were found in hFR-negative tumors. The folate-dendrimer's tumor-to-blood ratio of 12.6, in hFR-positive tumors, was approximately 5.7 to 17.0 fold better than those obtained with monoclonal antibodies targeted to the folate receptor. CONCLUSIONS: Biodistribution studies confirm previous MRI findings and show that the accumulation of the folate-dendrimer requires the expression of the hFR.

Effectiveness of ampicillin and combination of penicillin and chloramphenicol in the treatment of pneumonias: randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of ampicillin and a combination of benzyl penicillin and chloramphenicol in the treatment of pneumonias. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. SUBJECTS: Patients 5 months to 4 years old with pneumonias of < 2 weeks duration. Exclusion criteria included acute bronchiolitis, allergy to penicillin, postmeasles pneumonia or prior administration of trial antibiotics in full dose for more than 2 days. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized to receive either ampicillin (100 mg/kg/day) or combination of benzyl penicillin (100,000 units/kg/day) and chloramphenicol (100 mg/kg/day). The outcome measure was cure rate. RESULTS: There were 52 and 49 patients in the ampicillin and the combination groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics between groups except, nasal flare and cyanosis which were less in benzyl penicillin plus chloramphenicol group. There was also no difference either in the primary outcome, cure rate or secondary outcomes (days for cure, duration of tachypnea, fever and grunt) in the two. CONCLUSION: Considering the potential toxicity of chloramphenicol and the number of injections and doses to be given for the combination, ampicillin as a single drug could be preferred for the treatment of pneumonias, in this part of the country.