Disentangling the response of species diversity, forest structure, and environmental drivers to aboveground biomass in the tropical forests of Western Ghats, India.

Tropical forests are crucial to the global carbon cycle, but a significant knowledge gap in the precise distribution patterns of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) hinders our ability to formulate effective conservation efforts. A key unresolved issue is the lack of understanding of how forest AGB interacts with biotic and abiotic factors on large spatial scale. To address this, we used Structural Equation Modeling to disentangle the direct and indirect effects of environmental, anthropogenic, structural diversity species diversity and edaphic factors on AGB of trees, lianas and regenerating communities using the data from 96 1-ha plots in the central Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India.

Microplastics in the Eastern Arabian Sea: Decision support tools for monitoring and environmental risk reduction.

The study of microplastics (MP) in the Eastern Arabian Sea (EAS) offers globally relevant insights into the pressing issue of marine plastic pollution. Quantification results (mean concentration of 0.13 particles m and range of 0.

Intravitreal methotrexate as an adjuvant in vitrectomy in cases of retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Purpose: To compare the rate of re-detachment in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and Grade-C PVR following vitreoretinal surgery, with and without serial intravitreal injections of methotrexate.

Methods: It was a randomized control trial. Patients aged more than 18 years undergoing pars plana vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with PVR grade C or more were included in the study.

Effects of APOE isoforms in diabetic nephropathy patients of South India.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a grave complication and the most common renal dysfunction of diabetes mellitus. Genetic factors, including Apolipoprotein E (APOE) isoforms, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of DN.

Methods: A total of 577 type 2 Diabetes mellitus subjects were categorized into diabetes non-nephropathic (Controls: n = 321), diabetes nephropathic (DN: n = 256) groups.

Hiding in plain sight: Optimizing topoisomerase IIα inhibitors into Hsp90β selective binders.

Due to their impact on several oncogenic client proteins, the Hsp90 family of chaperones has been widely studied for the development of potential anticancer agents. Although several Hsp90 inhibitors have entered clinical trials, most were unsuccessful because they induced a heat shock response (HSR). This issue can be circumvented by using isoform-selective inhibitors, but the high similarity in the ATP-binding sites between the isoforms presents a challenge.

A deep drug prediction framework for viral infectious diseases using an optimizer-based ensemble of convolutional neural network: COVID-19 as a case study.

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak highlights the persistent vulnerability of humanity to epidemics and emerging microbial threats, emphasizing the lack of time to develop disease-specific treatments. Therefore, it appears beneficial to utilize existing resources and therapies. Computational drug repositioning is an effective strategy that redirects authorized drugs to new therapeutic purposes.

Electrochemically grafted gallic acid-chitosan: a metal-free redox platform for regiospecific oligopeptide-viral spike protein interaction.

Electrochemical grafting of gallic acid with chitosan (EgGC) voltammetrically deposited on a multitude of substrates exhibiting reversible oxidoreduction suitable for sensor construction is reported. A bioreceptor customized from the fragment antigen binding region of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies immobilized on an EgGC matrix supported the selective/specific electrochemical signal transduction with respect to different viral loads (femtogram level) of SARS-CoV-2.

Endogenous Endophthalmitis Presenting with Iris Nodules.

Aim: We report a unique finding of iris nodules in a woman with endogenous endophthalmitis due to with no history of ocular surgery or trauma and good visual outcome.

Materials & Methods: Retrospective case report.

Results: A 39-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus presented with a decrease in vision in the right eye of 1-month duration.

Detection of ethanol, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, and opioids in older adults evaluated for serious injuries from falls.

Background: In 2020, there were 36.7 million reported falls among older adults (65+) in the United States. Ethanol and other sedating substances may increase fall risk among older adults due to their effect on cognitive and physical function.

Shear bond strength of a composite resin restoration in primary teeth following cavity preparation using laser- an in-vitro study.

To evaluate and compare the shear bond strength of composite resin restorations in primary teeth, following cavity preparation with both traditional dental burs and laser irradiation. One hundred primary molars extracted from the children visiting our department were collected and randomly divided into five groups (A-E) with 20 teeth in each group. In groups A, B, C, D, and E the teeth samples were etched with phosphoric acid, Er; YAG laser followed by acid etching, Er, Cr: YSGG laser followed by acid etching, Er; YAG laser etching only and Er, Cr: YSGG laser etching only, respectively.

Bariatric surgery association with risk of recurrent stroke hospitalization among older stroke survivors with obesity: A national inpatient sample study (2016-2019).

Background And Aims: The paucity of large-scale data exploring the effect of prior bariatric surgery on recurrent stroke outcomes in older individuals with obesity who survived a stroke led us to address the gap, with an emphasis on the risk of recurrent stroke and its trends.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample data from 2016 to 2019. Older individuals with obesity who survived a stroke (>65 years) and had a recurrent acute ischemic stroke (AIS) hospitalization, with or without prior bariatric surgery (PBS), were identified using ICD-10 codes.

Meta-analysis of renin angiotensin aldosterone modulators mitigating atrial fibrillation risk in hypertensive patients.

Introduction: Hypertension is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy/enlargement/fibrosis and atrial ectopic rhythm, leading to an increased risk of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). We aimed to stratify the effect of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEi) and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) on the risk of AF.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were screened, and cross-citation was conducted for studies reporting AF in hypertensive patients on ACEi and ARB.

Impact of an educational video in improving awareness of eye donation among non-medical health care workers in a tertiary health centre.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of an educational video in improving awareness of eye donation among non-medical healthcare workers at a tertiary health centre.

Methods: A socio-behavioural study on knowledge and attitude towards eye donation was conducted among 373 non-medical healthcare workers through a printed semi-structured questionnaire before and after viewing a bilingual educational video. The responses were evaluated and scored.

Unraveling the cation dependent carrier cooling and transient mobility in lead-free A3Sb2I9 perovskites.

Lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have gained prominence for their exceptional photophysical properties, holding promise for applications in high-end optoelectronic devices. However, the presence of lead is one of the major obstacles to the commercialization of LHPs in the field of photovoltaics. To address this, researchers have explored environment friendly lead-free perovskite solar cells by investigating non-toxic perovskite materials.

New cytotoxic spatane diterpenoids from marine alga Stoechospermum marginatum.

Three new spatane diterpenoids (1-3) were isolated from the brown alga Stoechospermum marginatum together with three known compounds (4-6). The structures of these compounds were determined by the detailed NMR spectroscopic and Mass spectrometric analyses. All the isolated compounds were screened for their cytotoxic potentials against a panel of four human cancer cell lines, which include DU145 (Prostate), B16F10 (Melanoma), MDA MB-231 (Breast), and HeLa (Cervical) along with a normal cell line (HEK).

Development of a predictive algorithm for patient survival after traumatic injury using a five analyte blood panel.

Severe trauma can induce systemic inflammation but also immunosuppression, which makes understanding the immune response of trauma patients critical for therapeutic development and treatment approaches. By evaluating the levels of 59 proteins in the plasma of 50 healthy volunteers and 1000 trauma patients across five trauma centers in the United States, we identified 6 novel changes in immune proteins after traumatic injury and further new variations by sex, age, trauma type, comorbidities, and developed a new equation for prediction of patient survival. Blood was collected at the time of arrival at Level 1 trauma centers and patients were stratified based on trauma level, tissues injured, and injury types.

Recurrent Choroidal Neovascular Membrane as the Initial Presentation of -Associated Serpiginoid Choroiditis.

Purpose: To report a rare presentation of a proven case of infection presenting as multifocal choroiditis with recurrent choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) in one eye, initially misdiagnosed as punctate inner choroidopathy and later developed serpiginous-like choroiditis in the other eye.

Methods: Retrospective case report with a review of existing literature.

Results: A 30-year-old women presented with metamorphopsia (OD) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 6/24 (OD) and was diagnosed to have punctate inner choroidopathy with CNVM (OD).