The Impact of Storage Conditions on Stool Smellprints as Assessed by an Electronic Nose.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease of the neonatal gastrointestinal tract. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odoriferous compounds released as a byproduct of bacterial metabolism, can be used as a proxy for gut health. We hypothesized that patients with NEC would have different microbial profiles and elicit different VOC signatures as assessed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or an electronic nose compared to controls.

Role of innate T cells in necrotizing enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a destructive gastrointestinal disease primarily affecting preterm babies. Despite advancements in neonatal care, NEC remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units worldwide and the etiology of NEC is still unclear. Risk factors for NEC include prematurity, very low birth weight, feeding with formula, intestinal dysbiosis and bacterial infection.

Effect of Oral Chondroitin Sulfate Supplementation on Acute Brain Injury in a Murine Necrotizing Enterocolitis Model.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating condition where inflammatory changes and necrosis in the gut results in activation of brain microglia and subsequent neurodevelopmental impairment. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a glycosaminoglycan in human breast milk that is absent in conventional formulas. We hypothesized that oral formula supplementation with CS during a murine model of experimental NEC would not only attenuate intestinal injury, but also brain injury.

Chondroitin sulfate supplementation improves clinical outcomes in a murine model of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) continues to be a devastating disease in preterm neonates and has a paucity of medical management options. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in human breast milk (HM) and has been shown to reduce inflammation. We hypothesized that supplementation with CS in an experimental NEC model would alter microbial diversity, favorably alter the cytokine profile, and (like other sulfur compounds) improve outcomes in experimental NEC via the eNOS pathway.

Hydrogen Sulfide Improves Outcomes in a Murine Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis via the Cys440 Residue on Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase.

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (HS) has been shown to improve outcomes in a murine model of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). There is evidence in humans that HS relies on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) to exert its protective effects, potentially through the persulfidation of eNOS at the Cysteine 443 residue. We obtained a novel mouse strain with a mutation at this residue (eNOS) and hypothesized that this locus would be critical for GYY4137 (an HS donor) to exert its protective effects.

Volatile Organic Compound Assessment as a Screening Tool for Early Detection of Gastrointestinal Diseases.

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases have a high prevalence throughout the United States. Screening and diagnostic modalities are often expensive and invasive, and therefore, people do not utilize them effectively. Lack of proper screening and diagnostic assessment may lead to delays in diagnosis, more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, and higher morbidity and mortality rates.

Distinct platelet F-actin patterns and traction forces on von Willebrand factor versus fibrinogen.

Upon vascular injury, platelets form a hemostatic plug by binding to the subendothelium and to each other. Platelet-to-matrix binding is initially mediated by von Willebrand factor (VWF) and platelet-to-platelet binding is mediated mainly by fibrinogen and VWF. After binding, the actin cytoskeleton of a platelet drives its contraction, generating traction forces that are important to the cessation of bleeding.

Case-control association study of congenital heart disease from a tertiary paediatric cardiac centre from North India.

Background: Congenital Heart diseases (CHDs) account for 1/3rd of all congenital birth defects. Etiopathogenesis of CHDs remain elusive despite extensive investigations globally. Phenotypic heterogeneity witnessed in this developmental disorder reiterate gene-environment interactions with periconceptional factors as risk conferring; and genetic analysis of both sporadic and familial forms of CHD suggest its multigenic basis.

Stem cells as a therapeutic avenue for active and long-term complications of Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating neonatal intestinal disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although decades of research have been dedicated to understanding the pathogenesis of NEC and developing therapies, it remains the leading cause of death among neonatal gastrointestinal diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have garnered significant interest recently as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of NEC.

Stem cell derived therapies to preserve and repair the developing intestine.

Stem cell research and the use of stem cells in therapy have seen tremendous growth in the last two decades. Neonatal intestinal disorders such as necrotizing enterocolitis, Hirschsprung disease, and gastroschisis have high morbidity and mortality and limited treatment options with varying success rates. Stem cells have been used in several pre-clinical studies to address various neonatal disorders with promising results.

Gut-Brain cross talk: The pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental impairment in necrotizing enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating condition of multi-factorial origin that affects the intestine of premature infants and results in high morbidity and mortality. Infants that survive contend with several long-term sequelae including neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI)-which encompasses cognitive and psychosocial deficits as well as motor, vision, and hearing impairment. Alterations in the gut-brain axis (GBA) homeostasis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NEC and the development of NDI.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation in the Treatment of Depression: An Observational Study.

Depression is a common mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest. Research suggests an association between the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet and a reduced risk for depression. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in alleviating depressive symptoms in patients with mild to moderate depression.

Human DNA polymerase η promotes RNA-templated error-free repair of DNA double-strand breaks.

A growing body of evidence indicates that RNA plays a critical role in orchestrating DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR). Recently, we showed that homologous nascent RNA can be used as a template for error-free repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the transcribed genome and to restore the missing sequence at the break site via the transcription-coupled classical nonhomologous end-joining (TC-NHEJ) pathway. TC-NHEJ is a complex multistep process in which a reverse transcriptase (RT) is essential for synthesizing the DNA strand from template RNA.

Nanophotonics triggered thermally enhanced solar water disinfection bottles for slum dwellers.

Among several existing technologies, solar pasteurization is widely accepted as a reliable and cost-effective method for the removal of microbial pathogens from water. This work reports nanophotonics-triggered thermally enhanced solar water disinfection bottles (nano-SODIS) designed rationally by coating plasmonic carbon nanoparticles (CNP) on the outer surface for the targeted pathogen inactivation from water. The cost-effective CNP nanophotonic material used in this work has high efficiency in harvesting solar radiation and dissipating the heat locally.

Analysis of Antidepressants Utilization for Patients Visiting Psychiatric Out-Patient Clinic in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Depression is a prevalent mental health condition treated with antidepressants and other psychotropic medications. This study aimed to assess the utilization pattern of antidepressants among patients visiting the outpatient clinic of the psychiatry department of a tertiary care hospital. The study included the patients who visited the study site and fulfilled the mental and behavioral diagnostic criteria for depression.

Age disparities in intestinal stem cell quantities: a possible explanation for preterm infant susceptibility to necrotizing enterocolitis.

Purpose: Preterm infants are more susceptible to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) than term Queryinfants. This may be due to a relative paucity of Lgr5 or Bmi1-expressing intestinal stem cells (ISCs) which are responsible for promoting intestinal recovery after injury. We hypothesized that the cellular markers of Lgr5 and Bmi1, which represent the two distinct ISC populations, would be lower in younger mice compared to older mice.

A hydrogen-sulfide derivative of mesalamine reduces the severity of intestinal and lung injury in necrotizing enterocolitis through endothelial nitric oxide synthase.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a devastating disease that affects preterm infants. Hydrogen sulfide (HS) donors have been shown to reduce the severity of NEC, but the optimal compound has yet to be identified. We hypothesized that oral HS-Mesalamine (ATB-429) would improve outcomes in experimental NEC, and its benefits would be dependent on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) pathways.

Sildenafil attenuates intestinal injury in necrotizing enterocolitis independently of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease that impacts the intestine of premature infants. Sildenafil has shown benefit in colitis and ischemia/reperfusion models but has not been adequately studied in NEC. Sildenafil's best studied mechanism involves augmenting nitric oxide induced vasodilation.

The ubiquitin-binding domain of DNA polymerase η directly binds to DNA clamp PCNA and regulates translesion DNA synthesis.

DNA polymerase eta (Polη) is a unique translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) enzyme required for the error-free bypass of ultraviolet ray (UV)-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in DNA. Therefore, its deficiency confers cellular sensitivity to UV radiation and an increased rate of UV-induced mutagenesis. Polη possesses a ubiquitin-binding zinc finger (ubz) domain and a PCNA-interacting-protein (pip) motif in the carboxy-terminal region.

MUC1, CK20, and CDX2 immunohistochemical markers can sub-classify periampullary carcinomas into pancreaticobiliary, intestinal, and mixed subtypes.

Introduction: Pancreaticobiliary subtype of Periampullary carcinoma (PAC) has a poor prognosis in comparison to the intestinal subtype. We assessed the potential of cytokeratins and mucin markers to classify the sub-types of periampullary tumors and compared them with the survival data to identify markers that may predict prognosis.

Methodology: PAC tumor tissues were obtained from 94 patients undergoing Whipples Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

FDA approved L-type channel blocker Nifedipine reduces cell death in hypoxic A549 cells through modulation of mitochondrial calcium and superoxide generation.

As hypoxia is a major driver for the pathophysiology of COVID-19, it is crucial to characterize the hypoxic response at the cellular and molecular levels. In order to augment drug repurposing with the identification of appropriate molecular targets, investigations on therapeutics preventing hypoxic cell damage is required. In this work, we propose a hypoxia model based on alveolar lung epithelial cells line using chemical inducer, CoCl that can be used for testing calcium channel blockers (CCBs).

Pseudoaneurysm following a neonatal coarctation repair; a dreadful complication.

Aneurysms of descending thoracic aorta following surgical repair of coarctation have been reported in literature. Almost always, they are seen in repairs involving prosthetic patch aortoplasty. We report a neonate who underwent resection and an extended end to end anastomosis repair of coarctation and subsequently developed a huge pseudoaneurysm at a 3-month follow-up.

Timing of congenital cardiac surgery in children who turned COVID-19 positive.

We report a series of four patients with CHD who tested positive for COVID-19, got treated, and underwent cardiac surgery in the same sitting. All had an uneventful perioperative course similar to COVID-19-negative patients. We conclude that children with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 disease may be subjected to surgery as early as within 1 week since COVID-19 negative.