PDADMAC/Alginate-Coated Gold Nanorod For Eradication of Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms.

Introduction: Over 75% of clinical microbiological infections are caused by bacterial biofilms that grow on wounds or implantable medical devices. This work describes the development of a new poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)/alginate-coated gold nanorod (GNR/Alg/PDADMAC) that effectively disintegrates the biofilms of (), a prominent pathogen responsible for hospital-acquired infections.

Methods: GNR was synthesised via seed-mediated growth method, and the resulting nanoparticles were coated first with Alg and then PDADMAC.

Torsion of Epididymal Cyst: A Case Report With Review of Literature.

Torsion of an epididymal cyst is one of the rare and least-known causes of acute scrotal pain. Epididymal cysts, when large, can undergo occasional complications like infection or, rarely they might undergo torsion, needing emergency surgery. We present a case of a 37-year-old gentleman with acute scrotal pain to the scrotum.

Inflammatory bowel diseases in Tamil Nadu: A survey of demographics, clinical profile, and practices.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasingly diagnosed in South Asia. This survey by the Tamil Nadu Chapter of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (TNISG) documents the demography, clinical profile, and therapeutic practices related to IBD in Tamil Nadu.

Methods: TNISG members from 32 institutions completed an online cross-sectional questionnaire on IBD patients from March 2020 to January 2021.

Effects of Extraction Temperature on Efficacy of Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), Aqueous Extract against Oxidative Stress.

This study was designed to understand the effect of extraction temperature, i.e., room temperature (GLRT), 50°C (GL50), 100°C (hot water; GL100), and 200°C (GL200) on antioxidant and biological activity of G.

Anatomically realistic ultrasound phantoms using gel wax with 3D printed moulds.

Here we describe methods for creating tissue-mimicking ultrasound phantoms based on patient anatomy using a soft material called gel wax. To recreate acoustically realistic tissue properties, two additives to gel wax were considered: paraffin wax to increase acoustic attenuation, and solid glass spheres to increase backscattering. The frequency dependence of ultrasound attenuation was well described with a power law over the measured range of 3-10 MHz.

Actinomycetes-mediated biogenic synthesis of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles: progress and challenges.

Actinomycetes-mediated biogenic synthesis of metal nanoparticles and their antimicrobial activities are well documented. Actinomycetes facilitate both intracellular and extracellular metal nanoparticles synthesis and are efficient candidates for the production of polydispersed, stable and ultra-small size metal nanoparticles. Secondary metabolites and new chemical entities derived from Actinomycetes have not been extensively studied for the synthesis of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles.

Driving Innovation in Low Resource Settings.

As of 2015, it was estimated that 400 million people lacked access to essential health services The Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Initiative aims to address this issue by delivering quality health service to people around the world whilst minimizing costs. Access to affordable medical technology is a cornerstone to this initiative.

Determining the probiotic potential of cholesterol-reducing Lactobacillus and Weissella strains isolated from gherkins (fermented cucumber) and south Indian fermented koozh.

This study sought to evaluate the probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditionally fermented south Indian koozh and gherkin (cucumber). A total of 51 LAB strains were isolated, among which four were identified as Lactobacillus spp. and three as Weissella spp.

Prioritisation of vascular outpatient appointments cannot be based on referral letters alone.

Background: Vascular referrals include patients with conditions varying from varicose veins of cosmetic nuisance to patients with critical ischaemia, transient ischaemic attacks and abdominal aortic aneurysms. A large number of such referrals are received each week from general practitioners. It is important to prioritise patients with conditions that need to be dealt with quickly.

Multi-step microfluidic device for studying cancer metastasis.

This paper describes a multi-step microfluidic device for studying the deformation and extravasation of primary tumor cells. Prior to extravasation, primary tumor cells undergo sequential steps of deformation through the capillaries, before adhering and transmigrating through the endothelial lining and basement membrane. To study this cascade of events, we fabricated a multi-step microfluidic device whose microgaps were coated with Matrigel to mimic the basement membrane.

Matrigel coated polydimethylsiloxane based microfluidic devices for studying metastatic and non-metastatic cancer cell invasion and migration.

Three-dimensional (3-D) extracellular matrices (ECM) allow complex biochemical and biophysical interactions between cells and matrices. Unlike 2-D systems, 3-D models provide a better representation of the micro and local environments in living tissues for facilitating the physiological study of cell migration. Here, we report a microfluidic device based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for monitoring 3-D cell migration across ECM-coated microgaps with real-time light microscopy.

A quantitative observation and imaging of single tumor cell migration and deformation using a multi-gap microfluidic device representing the blood vessel.

A microfluidic device was developed for quantifying the migratory and deformability capabilities of a single tumor cell using direct imaging. It was fabricated using photolithography and is made of polydimethysiloxane. Chemotaxis approach was used for directing cell movement, using 10 microm microgaps to restrict the migration to a single cell.

Role of silver ions in destabilization of intermolecular adhesion forces measured by atomic force microscopy in Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms.

In this paper, we report on the potential use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a tool to measure the intermolecular forces in biofilm structures and to study the effect of silver ions on sessile Staphylococcus epidermidis cell viability and stability. We propose a strategy of destabilizing the biofilm matrix by reducing the intermolecular forces within the extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) using a low concentration (50 ppb) of silver ions. Our AFM studies on the intermolecular forces within the EPSs of S.

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy investigations of QCA molecules.

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA), a computation paradigm based on the Coulomb interactions between neighboring cells. The key idea is to represent binary information, not by the state of a current switch (transistor), but rather by the configuration of charge in a bistable cell. In its molecular realization, the QCA cell can be a single molecule.