Fungal Oto-Mastoiditis- A Rare Presentation in Immunocompetent Individuals.

Fungal oto-mastoiditis is a rare condition and is often associated with host immunodeficiency. It has to be considered as a differential diagnosis among patients presenting symptoms despite an adequate antibacterial therapy. A 23-year-old female presented to the ENT OPD with complaints of occasional left ear discharge, since 2 years which was associated with itching, pain and reduced hearing.

An evaluation of glass beads from the southwestern coastal state of Goa, India, as a potential pollutant in marine ecosystem.

Glass beads laid on the road, mainly used for better visibility, can contribute to harmful anthropogenic waste to the marine environment, and it is a prerequisite to distinguish the chemical properties associated with it. This is the first systematic approach and evaluation of the toxic and non-toxic characteristics of the glass beads from the Indian coastal region (Goa state), which originated from the wearing of road paint over a period. Glass beads ranging from a few hundred to ~ 1000 µm were found on various beaches far from the roadside throughout the coastal state.

Feasibility study of total marrow lymphoid irradiation with volumetric modulated arc therapy: clinical implementation in a tertiary care center.

Purpose: Total marrow lymphoid irradiation (TMLI) with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is challenging due to large treatment fields with multiple isocenters, field matching at junctions, and targets being surrounded by many organs at risk. This study aimed to describe our methodology for safe dose escalation and accurate dose delivery of TMLI treatment with the VMAT technique based on early experience at our center.

Materials And Methods: Computed tomography (CT) scans were acquired in head-first supine and feet-first supine orientations for each patient with an overlap at mid-thigh.

Efficient Secure Communication in Zigbee Network Using the DNA Sequence Encryption Technique.

Zigbee IoT devices have limited computational resources, including processing power and memory capacity. Therefore, because of their complicated computational requirements, traditional encryption techniques are inappropriate for Zigbee devices. Because of this, we proposed a novel, "lightweight encryption" method (algorithm) is based on "DNA sequences" for Zigbee devices.

Facial Feature Extraction Using a Symmetric Inline Matrix-LBP Variant for Emotion Recognition.

With a large number of Local Binary Patterns (LBP) variants being currently used today, the significant and importance of visual descriptors in computer vision applications are prominent. This paper presents a novel visual descriptor, i.e.

A machine learning-based approach to determine infection status in recipients of BBV152 (Covaxin) whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for serological surveys.

Data science has been an invaluable part of the COVID-19 pandemic response with multiple applications, ranging from tracking viral evolution to understanding the vaccine effectiveness. Asymptomatic breakthrough infections have been a major problem in assessing vaccine effectiveness in populations globally. Serological discrimination of vaccine response from infection has so far been limited to Spike protein vaccines since whole virion vaccines generate antibodies against all the viral proteins.

Congenital Epulis of the Newborn: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Unlabelled: Congenital epulis is a rare benign lesion of new-born and occurs mostly as a single tumor. A new-born infant with congenital epulis is a striking sight for both parents and health care professionals involved in neonatal care. The tumor has a female predilection with the female to male ratio being 10:1.

A strategy to determine off-axis dosimetric leaf gap using OSLD and EPID.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the dosimetric feasibility of using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLD) and an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) for central axis (CA X) and off-axis (OAX) dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) measurement.

Materials And Methods: The Clinac 2100C/D linear accelerator equipped with Millennium-120 multileaf collimator (MLC) and EPID was utilized for this study. The DLG values at CA X and ± 1 cm OAX (1 cm superior and inferior to the CA X position, respectively along the plane perpendicular to MLC motion) were measured using OSLD (DLG) and validated using ionization chamber dosimetry (DLG).

Insights from a Pan India Sero-Epidemiological survey (Phenome-India Cohort) for SARS-CoV2.

To understand the spread of SARS-CoV2, in August and September 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India) conducted a serosurvey across its constituent laboratories and centers across India. Of 10,427 volunteers, 1058 (10.14%) tested positive for SARS-CoV2 anti-nucleocapsid (anti-NC) antibodies, 95% of which had surrogate neutralization activity.

Axillary staging in ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion: A meta-analysis.

Introduction: Ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion (DCISM); arguably a more aggressive subtype of DCIS, currently has variable recommendations governing its staging and management in the UK. As a result, there is ongoing controversy surrounding the most appropriate management of DCISM, in particular the need of axillary staging.

Method: A search was conducted on the databases MEDLINE and Embase using the keywords: breast, DCISM, microinvasion, "ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion", sentinel lymph node biopsy, SLNB, axillary staging was performed.

Chronic exposure to excess iron promotes EMT and cancer via p53 loss in pancreatic cancer.

Based on the evidence that hemochromatosis, an iron-overload disease, drives hepatocellular carcinoma, we hypothesized that chronic exposure to excess iron, either due to genetic or environmental causes, predisposes an individual to cancer. Using pancreatic cancer as our primary focus, we employed cell culture studies to interrogate the connection between excess iron and cancer, and combined and studies to explore the connection further. Ferric ammonium citrate was used as an exogenous iron source.

Morphology-Dependent Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Performance of -Bi₂O₃ Nanostructures.

Simple one-step solvothermal route was used to synthesize -Bi₂O₃ nanostructures. Well-defined nanoflowers and finite nanorods surface morphology of the samples were revealed. The physical characterization and material confirmation was explored by employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, photoluminescence (PL), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies.

Transport Mechanisms for the Nutritional Supplement β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate (HMB) in Mammalian Cells.

Purpose: β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB), a nutritional supplement, elicits anabolic activity in muscle. Here we investigated the mechanism of HMB uptake in muscle cells.

Methods: Murine muscle cells (C2C12) and human mammary epithelial cells (MCF7) were used for uptake.

Retraction Note: Identification of a novel Na-coupled Fe-citrate transport system, distinct from mammalian INDY, for uptake of citrate in mammalian cells.

This paper has been retracted at the request of the authors.

Should sputum-negative presumptive TB patients be actively followed to identify missing cases in India?

Sputum smear microscopy, the primary diagnostic tool used for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in India's Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), has low sensitivity, resulting in a significant number of TB cases reported as sputum-negative. As the revised guidelines pose challenges in implementation, sputum-negative presumptive TB (SNPT) patients are subjected to 2 weeks of antibiotics, followed by chest X-ray (CXR), resulting in significant loss to care among these cases. To determine whether reducing delays in CXR would yield additional TB cases and reduce initial loss to follow-up for diagnosis among SNPT cases.

Identification of a novel Na-coupled Fe-citrate transport system, distinct from mammalian INDY, for uptake of citrate in mammalian cells.

NaCT is a Na-coupled transporter for citrate expressed in hepatocytes and neurons. It is the mammalian ortholog of INDY (I'm Not Dead Yet), a transporter which modifies lifespan in Drosophila. Here we describe a hitherto unknown transport system for citrate in mammalian cells.

Status of Tuberculosis services in Indian Prisons.

Introduction: Prisons are known to be a high risk environment for tuberculosis (TB) due to overcrowding, low levels of nutrition, poor infection control and lack of accessible healthcare services. India has nearly 1400 prisons housing 0.37 million inmates.

Nutrient Transporter Expression in the Jejunum in Relation to Body Mass Index in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

Nutrient tranters (NT) facilitate nutrient absorption and contribute to the regulation of circulating nutrients. In this cross-sectional study, we determined the associations between the level of obesity; mRNA abundance for NTs; and serum concentrations of amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, and glucose in patients with morbid obesity undergoing a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Proximal jejunal samples were obtained at the time of surgery from 42 patients (90% female, age = 42.

Re-programming tumour cell metabolism to treat cancer: no lone target for lonidamine.

Tumour cell metabolism is very different from normal cell metabolism; cancer cells re-programme the metabolic pathways that occur in normal cells in such a manner that it optimizes their proliferation, growth and survival. Although this metabolic re-programming obviously operates to the advantage of the tumour, it also offers unique opportunities for effective cancer therapy. Molecules that target the tumour cell-specific metabolic pathways have potential as novel anti-cancer drugs.

SLC transporters as a novel class of tumour suppressors: identity, function and molecular mechanisms.

The role of plasma membrane transporters in cancer is receiving increasing attention in recent years. Several transporters for essential nutrients are up-regulated in cancer and serve as tumour promoters. Transporters could also function as tumour suppressors.

Experience of active tuberculosis case finding in nearly 5 million households in India.

In India, to increase tuberculosis (TB) case detection under the National Tuberculosis Programme, active case finding (ACF) was implemented by the Global Fund-supported Project Axshya, among high-risk groups in 300 districts. Between April 2013 and December 2014, 4.9 million households covering ~20 million people were visited.

The Impact of Operating Room Distractions on Stress, Workload, and Teamwork.

Objective: To investigate whether distractions in the operating room (OR) are associated with higher mental workload and stress, and poorer teamwork among OR personnel.

Background: Engaging in multiple tasks can affect performance. There is little research on the effect of distractions on surgical team members' behavior and cognitive processes.