Effects of environmental factors on host-parasite interaction patterns in backyard-tethered goats of Kerala, India.

The environment is the most important stratum in the epidemiological triad of a parasitic disease and any variations in the environmental factors may decide the dynamic occurrence and existence of different lifecycle stages of these parasites. The present study investigated the correlations between key biometeorological and demographical parameters with the incidence of different gastrointestinal parasites and hemoparasites among goats. Four hundred and thirty-two goats were screened for parasitic infection in a yearlong survey conducted from July 2022 to June 2023 in the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Mannuthy, Kerala, India.

ChatGPT versus a customized AI chatbot (Anatbuddy) for anatomy education: A comparative pilot study.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have the potential to improve education by personalizing learning. However, ChatGPT-generated content has been criticized for sometimes producing false, biased, and/or hallucinatory information. To evaluate AI's ability to return clear and accurate anatomy information, this study generated a custom interactive and intelligent chatbot (Anatbuddy) through an Open AI Application Programming Interface (API) that enables seamless AI-driven interactions within a secured cloud infrastructure.

Development and validation of AI/ML derived splice-switching oligonucleotides.

Splice-switching oligonucleotides (SSOs) are antisense compounds that act directly on pre-mRNA to modulate alternative splicing (AS). This study demonstrates the value that artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) provides for the identification of functional, verifiable, and therapeutic SSOs. We trained XGboost tree models using splicing factor (SF) pre-mRNA binding profiles and spliceosome assembly information to identify modulatory SSO binding sites on pre-mRNA.

Patient-Derived Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Organoids Provide Robust Model Systems That Recapitulate Tumor Intrinsic Characteristics.

Unlabelled: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer with poor patient outcomes, highlighting the unmet clinical need for targeted therapies and better model systems. Here, we developed and comprehensively characterized a diverse biobank of normal and breast cancer patient-derived organoids (PDO) with a focus on TNBCs. PDOs recapitulated patient tumor intrinsic properties and a subset of PDOs can be propagated for long-term culture (LT-TNBC).

Albumin binds to uncoupler CCCP to diminish depolarization of mitochondria.

Mitochondria are at the core of cellular energy metabolism and are also involved in the oxidative stress response and programmed cell death pathways. Mitochondrial dysfunction is found to be associated with many disease conditions like metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative disorders, coronary artery diseases, cancer, etc. This has generated considerable interest in the scientific community over the assessment of mitochondrial function and mitochondrial damage.

Parameter importance assessment improves efficacy of machine learning methods for predicting snow avalanche sites in Leh-Manali Highway, India.

Due to ongoing climate change, water mass redistribution and related hazards are getting stronger and frequent. Therefore, predicting extreme hydrological events and related hazards is one of the highest priorities in geosciences. Machine Learning (ML) methods have shown promising prospects in this venture.

A new distribution record of Albunea groeningi (Crustacea: Anomura: Decapoda: Albuneidae) from the Digha Coast, West Bengal, India.

Members of the genus Albunea Weber, 1795 (family Albuneidae) are commonly known as sand crabs. Albuneidae contains 59 species belonging to 13 genera (Boyko McLaughlin 2010; WoRMS 2019), of which four genera and nine species are known only as fossils. Most species are relatively uncommon and adapted to living in sandy habitats (Boyko Harvey 1999).

New insight of red seaweed derived Callophycin A as an alternative strategy to treat drug resistance vaginal candidiasis.

Marine natural products are recognised as one among the major contributors of several important biological functions. The arguments has made to utilization of natural products against different kinds of infectious diseases. In the present study, Callophycin A was successfully prepared and its anti-candidal activity was evaluated through in-vitro and in-vivo methods.

Comprehensive analysis of structural variants in breast cancer genomes using single-molecule sequencing.

Improved identification of structural variants (SVs) in cancer can lead to more targeted and effective treatment options as well as advance our basic understanding of the disease and its progression. We performed whole-genome sequencing of the SKBR3 breast cancer cell line and patient-derived tumor and normal organoids from two breast cancer patients using Illumina/10x Genomics, Pacific Biosciences (PacBio), and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing. We then inferred SVs and large-scale allele-specific copy number variants (CNVs) using an ensemble of methods.

Long Non-Coding RNA: Functional Implications.

The mammalian genome is pervasively transcribed and the functional significance of many long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcripts are gradually being elucidated. () is one of the most well-studied lncRNAs. is a highly conserved nuclear retained lncRNA that is abundantly expressed in cells and tissues and has been shown to play a role in regulating genes at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in a context-dependent manner.

Targeted delivery and apoptosis induction of trans-resveratrol-ferulic acid loaded chitosan coated folic acid conjugate solid lipid nanoparticles in colon cancer cells.

The present study is aimed to study and to evaluate the colon cancer targeting efficacy of chitosan-coated-trans-resveratrol (RSV) and ferulic acid (FER) loaded SLNs (solid lipid nanoparticles) that conjugated with folic acid (FA) (C-RSV-FER-FA-SLNs) in suitable models (in vitro). The FA conjugation is performed using co-encapsulation method of stearic acid. Similarly, the prepared SLNs are exhibited better stability even under acidic conditions to exhibit their potentials to use as drug delivery system.

Synergistic effect of novel chitosan combined metformin drug on streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus rat.

Metformin is widely used as a frontline medicine of type-II diabetes. Frequent overdose side-effects and their consequent adversative need to be reduced. The novel source of marine hydrozoa, Thyroscyphus ramosus derived chitosan combined metformin drug was administrated to evaluate the antidiabetic potential on a high-fat diet (HFD) with streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.

Muscle extract of Arothron immaculatus regulates the blood glucose level and the antioxidant system in high-fat diet and streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.

In the present study pufferfish, Arothron immaculatus muscle methanol extract (AIME) was used to evaluate the antidiabetic activity against the high-fat diet (HFD) in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rat models. Initially, the In vitro antioxidant activity of the different muscle extract was evaluated which showed that AIME has higher efficiency to scavenge the free radicals. The animal study results revealed that the AIME could decrease the blood glucose level after 14 days of oral treatment and recover the animal from the severe progression of the disease.

MALAT1 long non-coding RNA and breast cancer.

Non-coding RNAs are becoming major players in disease pathogenesis such as cancer. Metastasis Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a nuclear enriched long non-coding RNA that is generally overexpressed in patient tumors and metastases. Overexpression of MALAT1 has been shown to be positively correlated with tumor progression and metastasis in a large number of tumor types including breast tumors.

Selective Small-Molecule Targeting of a Triple Helix Encoded by the Long Noncoding RNA, MALAT1.

Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 ( Malat1/ MALAT1, mouse/human), a highly conserved long noncoding (lnc) RNA, has been linked with several physiological processes, including the alternative splicing, nuclear organization, and epigenetic modulation of gene expression. MALAT1 has also been implicated in metastasis and tumor proliferation in multiple cancer types. The 3' terminal stability element for nuclear expression (ENE) assumes a triple-helical configuration that promotes its nuclear accumulation and persistent function.

Modulatory effect of 900 MHz radiation on biochemical and reproductive parameters in rats.

In the present study, the effect of 900 MHz radiation exposure on blood biochemical and reproductive parameters was evaluated in adolescent rats. Male albino Wistar rats (8-10 weeks of age) were exposed to 900 MHz radiation (1hr/day, power density - 146.60 µW/cm2) from a mobile phone for 28 days.

POU2F3 is a master regulator of a tuft cell-like variant of small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is widely considered to be a tumor of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells; however, a variant form of this disease has been described that lacks neuroendocrine features. Here, we applied domain-focused CRISPR screening to human cancer cell lines to identify the transcription factor (TF) POU2F3 (POU class 2 homeobox 3; also known as SKN-1a/OCT-11) as a powerful dependency in a subset of SCLC lines. An analysis of human SCLC specimens revealed that POU2F3 is expressed exclusively in variant SCLC tumors that lack expression of neuroendocrine markers and instead express markers of a chemosensory lineage known as tuft cells.

Therapeutic Targeting of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a significant population of the human transcriptome. Many lncRNAs exhibit cell- and/or tissue/tumor-specific expression, making them excellent candidates for therapeutic applications. In this review we discuss examples of lncRNAs that demonstrate the diversity of their function in various cancer types.

Multi-isocentric 4π volumetric-modulated arc therapy approach for head and neck cancer.

Objectives: To explore the feasibility of multi-isocentric 4π volumetric-modulated arc therapy (MI4π-VMAT) for the complex targets of head and neck cancers.

Methods: Twenty-five previously treated patients of HNC underwent re-planning to improve the dose distributions with either coplanar VMAT technique (CP-VMAT) or noncoplanar MI4π-VMAT plans. The latter, involving 3-6 noncoplanar arcs and 2-3 isocenters were re-optimized using the same priorities and objectives.

Growth Hormone Treatment in Turner's Syndrome: A Real World Experience.

Objective: Short stature is a universal clinical feature of Turner's syndrome (TS). Growth failure begins in fetal life, and adults with TS are on an average 20 cm shorter than the normal female population. Since there is a paucity of data from India regarding the effect of growth hormone (GH) on TS patients, we retrospectively analyzed the data of TS patients who are on GH treatment.

Dosimetric comparison of head and neck cancer patients planned with multivendor volumetric modulated arc therapy technology.

Aim: Purpose of this study is to dosimetrically compare head and neck (H and N) cancer patients planned with multivendor volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technology. VMAT treatment planning can be done using biological (treatment planning system [TPSB]: Monaco) or physical (TPSP: Eclipse)-based cost function optimization techniques. Planning and dosimetric comparisons were done in both techniques for H and N cases.

Promotion of sanitation and hygiene in a rural area of South India: A community-based study.

Introduction: Globally, billions of people do not have access to improved sanitation and many defecate in the open air. Poor hand washing practices and limited access to sanitation facilities perpetuate the transmission of disease-causing germs. The objectives of the study were to find out the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) on sanitary latrine, footwear, and hand washing among rural people and to assess the improvement in KAP after health education intervention.