Clinical evaluation of AYUSH-SL in patients receiving mass drug administration for the treatment of chronic inflammatory lymphedema, a double blind, placebo controlled, multicentric study.

Background Objectives: A 2.5-year placebo controlled double blind trial was conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of AYUSH- SL, a poly- herbal Ayurvedic formulation on filarial lymphedema in different endemic areas of India. Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is caused by parasitic nematodes from Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, or B.

Chromosome scale genome assembly and annotation of coconut cultivar Chowghat Green Dwarf.

The high-quality genome of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a crucial resource for enhancing agronomic traits and studying genome evolution within the Arecaceae family. We sequenced the Chowghat Green Dwarf cultivar, which is resistant to the root (wilt) disease, utilizing Illumina, PacBio, ONT, and Hi-C technologies to produce a chromosome-level genome of ~ 2.

Regional Variation of the CD4 and CD8 T Cell Epitopes Conserved in Circulating Dengue Viruses and Shared with Potential Vaccine Candidates.

As dengue expands globally and many vaccines are under trials, there is a growing recognition of the need for assessing T cell immunity in addition to assessing the functions of neutralizing antibodies during these endeavors. While several dengue-specific experimentally validated T cell epitopes are known, less is understood about which of these epitopes are conserved among circulating dengue viruses and also shared by potential vaccine candidates. As India emerges as the epicenter of the dengue disease burden and vaccine trials commence in this region, we have here aligned known dengue specific T cell epitopes, reported from other parts of the world with published polyprotein sequences of 107 dengue virus isolates available from India.

Severe disease during both primary and secondary dengue virus infections in pediatric populations.

Dengue is a global epidemic causing over 100 million cases annually. The clinical symptoms range from mild fever to severe hemorrhage and shock, including some fatalities. The current paradigm is that these severe dengue cases occur mostly during secondary infections due to antibody-dependent enhancement after infection with a different dengue virus serotype.

Functional and transcriptional heterogeneity within the massively expanding HLADRCD38 CD8 T cell population in acute febrile dengue patients.

CD8 T cells play a crucial role in protecting against intracellular pathogens such as viruses by eliminating infected cells and releasing anti-viral cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFNγ). Consequently, there is significant interest in comprehensively characterizing CD8 T cell responses in acute dengue febrile patients. Previous studies, including our own, have demonstrated that a discrete population of CD8 T cells with HLADR CD38 phenotype undergoes massive expansion during the acute febrile phase of natural dengue virus infection.

Light chain of a public SARS-CoV-2 class-3 antibody modulates neutralization against Omicron.

The pairing of antibody genes IGHV2-5/IGLV2-14 is established as a public immune response that potently cross-neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, by targeting class-3/RBD-5 epitopes in the receptor binding domain (RBD). LY-CoV1404 (bebtelovimab) exemplifies this, displaying exceptional potency against Omicron sub-variants up to BA.5.

Molecular basis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant evasion from shared neutralizing antibody response.

A detailed understanding of the molecular features of the neutralizing epitopes developed by viral escape mutants is important for predicting and developing vaccines or therapeutic antibodies against continuously emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we report three human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) generated from COVID-19 recovered individuals during first wave of pandemic in India. These mAbs had publicly shared near germline gene usage and potently neutralized Alpha and Delta, but poorly neutralized Beta and completely failed to neutralize Omicron BA.

Structural insights for neutralization of Omicron variants BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 by a broadly neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibody.

In this study, by characterizing several human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from single B cells of the COVID-19-recovered individuals in India who experienced ancestral Wuhan strain (WA.1) of SARS-CoV-2 during early stages of the pandemic, we found a receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific mAb 002-S21F2 that has rare gene usage and potently neutralized live viral isolates of SARS-CoV-2 variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron sublineages (BA.1, BA.

A Quantum Chemical Investigation into the Molecular Mechanism of the Atmospheric Reactions of Chemi-Ions with Nitrogen and Nitrogen Oxides.

Nitrogen oxides and chemi-ions are atmospheric pollutants with considerable aeronomic interest. These toxicants can react with each other, producing various ionic species and highly reactive by-products that play a crucial role in aerosol clustering and mediate several important atmospheric reactions. Understanding the chemical reactivity of these pollutants can provide essential information for controlling their excess emission into the atmosphere.

Evaluation of a new laryngoscope blade (Manipal throat packing blade) for throat pack insertion.

Background And Aims: Insertion of a throat pack using a Macintosh laryngoscope after placing an oral Ring, Adair and Elwyn (RAE) tube fixed to the lower lip in the midline invariably results in the lateral movement of the tongue or the tube requiring repositioning. The aim was to design a laryngoscope blade that would produce minimal movement of the endotracheal tube or the tongue during the insertion of throat pack and compare it with the Macintosh laryngoscope blade.

Material And Methods: A laryngoscope blade similar to the Doughty's blade of Boyle Davis mouth gag with a groove in the center of the blade was initially designed.

Contrasting behavior between the three human monocyte subsets in dengue pathophysiology.

Monocytes are known to play a critical role in dengue pathophysiology. However, which monocyte subset expresses what inflammatory mediator(s) and what transcriptional features distinguish each of the monocyte subset remain poorly understood. In this study we provide a detailed transcriptional analysis of the three human monocyte subsets in healthy children and in children with dengue febrile illness.

Comparison of epidural analgesia with ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block in aorto-femoral arterial bypass surgery.

Objective: Thoracic Epidural Analgesia (TEA) was compared with ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane (ESP) block in aorto-femoral arterial bypass surgery for analgesic efficacy, hemodynamic effects, and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Design: Prospective randomized.

Setting: Tertiary care centre.

Optimization of Flow-Cytometry Based Assay for Measuring Neutralizing Antibody Responses against Each of the Four Dengue Virus Serotypes.

Dengue is an important public health problem worldwide, with India contributing nearly a third of global dengue disease burden. The measurement of neutralizing antibody responses is critical for understanding dengue pathophysiology, vaccine development and evaluation. Historically, dengue virus neutralization titers were measured using plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs), which were later adapted to focus reduction neutralization tests (FRNTs).

Insights on Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Linkage Disequilibrium in Globally Diverse Coconut Accessions Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing.

Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) has emerged as a cost-effective approach for genome-wide discovery of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and high-throughput genotyping. In this study, 96 coconut palms, representing 16 accessions from globally diverse origins, were genotyped using the GBS strategy. A total of 10,835 high-quality SNPs, which were identified after stringent filtering, were utilized to assess genetic diversity, population structure, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analyses.

Immunophenotyping and Transcriptional Profiling of Human Plasmablasts in Dengue.

Plasmablasts represent a specialized class of antibody-secreting effector B cells that transiently appear in blood circulation following infection or vaccination. The expansion of these cells generally tends to be massive in patients with systemic infections such as dengue or Ebola that cause hemorrhagic fever. To gain a detailed understanding of human plasmablast responses beyond antibody expression, here, we performed immunophenotyping and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of the plasmablasts from dengue febrile children in India.

Chikungunya-specific IgG and neutralizing antibody responses in natural infection of Chikungunya virus in children from India.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is endemic in many different countries. CHIKV outbreaks are emerging in new areas and re-emerging in previously exposed geographical regions, thus making it a significant public health concern. CHIKV infections are often clinically inapparent, especially in children, which poses a challenge to testing and evaluating any vaccine.

Dengue Virus Non-Structural Protein 5 as a Versatile, Multi-Functional Effector in Host-Pathogen Interactions.

Dengue is emerging as one of the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral diseases of humans. The 11kb RNA genome of the dengue virus encodes three structural proteins (envelope, pre-membrane, capsid) and seven non-structural proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5), all of which are translated as a single polyprotein that is subsequently cleaved by viral and host cellular proteases at specific sites. Non-structural protein 5 (NS5) is the largest of the non-structural proteins, functioning as both an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that replicates the viral RNA and an RNA methyltransferase enzyme (MTase) that protects the viral genome by RNA capping, facilitating polyprotein translation.

Characterization of neutralizing versus binding antibodies and memory B cells in COVID-19 recovered individuals from India.

India is one of the most affected countries by COVID-19 pandemic; but little is understood regarding immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in this region. Herein we examined SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies, IgG, IgM, IgA and memory B cells in COVID-19 recovered individual from India. While a vast majority of COVID-19 recovered individuals showed SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies (38/42, 90.

C3G Regulates STAT3, ERK, Adhesion Signaling, and Is Essential for Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells.

C3G (RAPGEF1), engaged in multiple signaling pathways, is essential for the early development of the mouse. In this study, we have examined its role in mouse embryonic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. C3G null cells generated by CRISPR mediated knock-in of a targeting vector exhibited enhanced clonogenicity and long-term self-renewal.

Medium term results following heart transplantation for end stage heart failure: A single center experience of 257 patients.

Objective: End stage heart failure is a lethal disease with a dismal 5 year survival. Heart transplantation has proven to be a highly effective modality of treatment in appropriately selected group of such patients. This is a retrospective analysis of medium term outcomes of heart transplantation in the setting of a private health facility in India.

Epidemiology and molecular characterization of chikungunya virus from human cases in North India, 2016.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arthropod-borne Alphavirus is responsible for chikungunya disease. Arthralgia and arthritis are the major symptom. Some patients recover early while others for a very long time.

Photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene plastics by NiAlO spinels-synthesis and characterization.

Over past twenty years, daily usage of Microplastics (MPs) and their pollution are gradually increasing. Especially, the polyethylene bags were used for food storage. So their productivity as well discarding after use are rapidly growing and shown their great impact on the environment.

In vitro anticancer activity of Eclipta alba whole plant extract on colon cancer cell HCT-116.

Backgrounds: Colon cancer is the third most deadly and one of the most diagnosed diseases in the world. Although routine screening and early detection during last decades has improved the survival, colon cancer still claims hundreds of thousands lives each year worldwide. Surgery and chemotherapy is mainstay of current treatment, nevertheless toxicity associated with this treatment underscores the urgency of demand of a better therapeutics.