Environmental impact of microplastics and potential health hazards.

Microscopic plastic (microplastic) pollutants threaten the earth's biodiversity and ecosystems. As a result of the progressive fragmentation of oversized plastic containers and products or manufacturing in small sizes, microplastics (particles of a diameter of 5 mm with no lower limit) are used in medicines, personal care products, and industry. The incidence of microplastics is found everywhere in the air, marine waters, land, and even food that humans and animals consume.

Exploring the Potential of Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Targeting Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Biomarkers.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), combining the cytotoxicity of the drug payload with the specificity of monoclonal antibodies, are one of the rapidly evolving classes of anti-cancer agents. These agents have been successfully incorporated into the treatment paradigm of many malignancies, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The NSCLC is the most prevalent subtype of lung cancer, having a considerable burden on the cancer-related mortality and morbidity rates globally.

Significance of Melatonin in the Regulation of Circadian Rhythms and Disease Management.

Melatonin, the 'hormone of darkness' is a neuronal hormone secreted by the pineal gland and other extra pineal sites. Responsible for the circadian rhythm and seasonal behaviour of vertebrates and mammals, melatonin is responsible for regulating various physiological conditions and the maintenance of sleep, body weight and the neuronal activities of the ocular sites. With its unique amphiphilic structure, melatonin can cross the cellular barriers and elucidate its activities in the subcellular components, including mitochondria.

Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Infection Induced by SARS-CoV-2.

The pandemic COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which devastated the global economy and healthcare system. The infection caused an unforeseen rise in COVID-19 patients and increased the mortality rate globally. This study gives an overall idea about host-pathogen interaction, immune responses to COVID-19, recovery status of infection, targeted organs and complications associated, and comparison of post-infection immunity in convalescent subjects and non-infected individuals.

Natural and synthetic drugs and formulations for intravaginal HPV clearance.

Background: Except for a few preventative Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, there is currently no cure for HPV infection. There are a number of cutting-edge strategies and potent medications or herbal formulations that can be applied topically for early clearance of HPV infection before HPV DNA gets integrated into host cell genome. This is facilitated due to cervical cancer having distinct and well-recognized long precancerous stages.

Cellular consequences triggered by ketamine on exposure to human glioblastoma epithelial (LN-229) cells.

Ketamine is generally a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that interrelates with various other receptors, contributing to a wide range of actions. They are mainly approved as a general anesthetic, but a low dose of ketamine is applied for pain management, depression, and as analgesics. However, there is a significant concern regarding the long-term usage as antidepressants and as an abused drug.

Assessment of pathogenic potential of Acanthamoeba isolates by in vitro and in vivo tests.

Acanthamoeba are free-living protozoa present ubiquitously in numerous environmental reservoirs that exist as an actively feeding trophozoite or a dormant cyst stage. The pathogenic Acanthamoeba are known to cause Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). Despite their omnipresence, the number of infections is quite low.

Anti-Androgenic Therapies Targeting the Luminal Androgen Receptor of a Typical Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative tumors are progressively delineating their existence over the extended spectrum of breast cancers, marked by intricate molecular heterogeneity, a low overall survival rate, and an unexplored therapeutic approach. Although the basal subtype transcends the group and contributes approximately 80% to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cases, the exceptionally appearing mesenchymal and luminal androgen receptor (LAR) subtypes portray an unfathomable clinical course. LAR with a distinct generic profile frequently metastasizes to regional lymph nodes and bones.

Contracting triple-negative breast cancer with immunotherapeutic armamentarium: recent advances and clinical prospects.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) portraying deficient expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is known to be the most aggressive subtype associated with poor prognosis and interventional strategies limited to chemotherapy and breast conserving surgery. Some TNBC incidences have also been reported with positive circ-HER2 expression thus rendering circ-HER2 a potential immunotherapy target to direct drug development. Resistance and recurrence reported with traditional approaches has led us towards the application of immunotherapeutic interventions owing to their anti-tumor efficacy.

Unveiling the antibody-drug conjugates portfolio in battling Triple-negative breast cancer: Therapeutic trends and Future horizon.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) showcases a labyrinthine network exhibiting deficient expression of Estrogen receptor (ER), Progesterone receptor (PR), and Human-epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2). This restricts the conventional chemotherapeutic, hormonal, and few targeted regimens in showing efficient anti-tumor response. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are target-specific conjugates comprising a monoclonal antibody attached to the desired cytotoxic payload with the support of a stable linker.

Hippocampal glutathione depletion with enhanced iron level in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease compared with healthy elderly participants.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and it is potentially driven by the depletion of primary antioxidant, glutathione, as well as elevation of the pro-oxidant, iron. Present study evaluates glutathione level by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, iron deposition by quantitative susceptibility mapping in left hippocampus, as well as the neuropsychological scores of healthy old participants ( = 25), mild cognitive impairment ( = 16) and Alzheimer's disease patients ( = 31). Glutathione was found to be significantly depleted in mild cognitive impaired ( < 0.

Cytocompatibility of Pluronics F-127 on adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549 cells).

Pluronics, due to its high water-soluble and thermoreversible ability, attracted much in biomedical applications. They are mainly utilized in drug delivery, gene therapy, and tissue remodeling. The study aims to explore the cytocompatibility of Pluronics F-127, which has gained much popularity due to its various properties.

Evaluation of in vitro activity of five antimicrobial agents on Acanthamoeba isolates and their toxicity on human corneal epithelium.

Background: Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is an important cause of ocular morbidity in both contact lens wearers and non wearers. Medical management comprises prolonged empiric treatment with multiple drugs, leading to adverse effects and suboptimal cure. The present study evaluated the efficiency and safety of common antimicrobial agents used in treatment of AK.

Cascade of immune mechanism and consequences of inflammatory disorders.

Inflammatory responses arise as an outcome of tissues or organs exposure towards harmful stimuli like injury, toxic chemicals or pathogenic microorganism. It is a complex cascade of immune mechanism to overcome from tissue injury and to initiate the healing process by recruiting various immune cells, chemical mediators such as the vasoactive peptides and amines, pro-inflammatory cytokines, eicosanoids and acute-phase proteins to prevent tissue damage and ultimately complete restoration of the tissue function. The cytokines exhibits a central function in communication between the cells, inflammatory response initiation, amplification and their regulation.

Effects of Aging Versus Noise Exposure on Auditory System in Individuals With Normal Audiometric Thresholds.

Background: The study aims at investigating the effect of aging and noise exposure on the auditory system using auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), and contralateral suppression of OAEs (CSOAEs). The objective was to compare DPOAEs, CSOAEs, and ABR in aged and noise-exposed individuals with the normal, to find an indicator for early diagnosis of auditory damage.

Methods: Sixty adult male participants were divided into 3 groups.

Microbiological diagnosis of Acanthamoebic keratitis: experience from tertiary care center of North India.

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a painful vision-threatening infection caused by pathogenic free-living Acanthamoeba. Due to the non-specific clinical presentation, this condition tends to be misdiagnosed by clinicians. A timely diagnosis is crucial for favorable visual outcome.

DrugRepV: a compendium of repurposed drugs and chemicals targeting epidemic and pandemic viruses.

Viruses are responsible for causing various epidemics and pandemics with a high mortality rate e.g. ongoing SARS-CoronaVirus-2 crisis.

Role of immunoglobulin and antibodies in disease management.

The immune system is a highly advanced and coordinated mechanism that allows a living organism to distinguish between "self" and "non-self". The host uses both innate and adaptive immune response mechanisms to identify and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. Human immunoglobulin is the prominently used blood product in the clinical practice.

Acanthamoeba keratitis: A 4-year review from a tertiary care hospital in North India.

Introduction: Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a blinding condition reported from both developed and developing countries. Limited knowledge on the clinical characteristics of AK and scarce laboratory diagnostic facilities in such countries poses difficulties in the accurate diagnosis.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics as well as management of Acanthamoeba keratitis in a tertiary care hospital in North India.

Glutathione in Brain: Overview of Its Conformations, Functions, Biochemical Characteristics, Quantitation and Potential Therapeutic Role in Brain Disorders.

Glutathione (GSH) is an important antioxidant found abundantly and synthesized intracellularly in the cytosol in a tightly regulated fashion. It has diverse physiological functions, including protection against reactive oxygen species and nitrogen species, antioxidant defense as well as maintenance of cellular thiol status. The human brain due to the high oxygen consumption is extremely susceptible to the generation of reactive oxygen species.

NipahVR: a resource of multi-targeted putative therapeutics and epitopes for the Nipah virus.

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging and priority pathogen from the Paramyxoviridae family with a high fatality rate. It causes various diseases such as respiratory ailments and encephalitis and poses a great threat to humans and livestock. Despite various efforts, there is no approved antiviral treatment available.

Demographic and clinical profile of microspodial keratitis in North India: an underreported entity.

Ocular microsporidiosis was first described in immunocompromised subjects but recent reports have also shown cases in immunocompetent hosts. The database of existing clinical studies is very limited. The aim of present study was to analyse demographic profile, clinical features, microbiological profile, treatment and outcome of ocular microsporidiosis in northern India.

Narrow-band chirp and tone burst auditory brainstem response as an early indicator of synaptopathy in industrial workers exposed to occupational noise.

This study aims at characterizing and comparing the findings of auditory brainstem response (ABR) using narrow-band chirp (NB-chirp) and tone burst (TB) for both latency and amplitude parameters among those exposed to occupational noise and to determine which among the two serves as a better indicator of noise-induced cochlear neuropathy. Forty adult males in the age range of 20-35 years were considered, wherein 20 of them were exposed to noise > 80 dB (A) for 8 hours per day constituting Noise-exposed group; and Control group consisted of 20 individuals without occupational noise exposure. ABR was recorded using NB-chirp and TB for four frequencies at 80 dB nHL through Etymotic Research - 3A (ER-3A) Insert phones using Interacoustics Eclipse EP-25 in individuals with and without noise exposure.

Diurnal changes in differential sensitivity and temporal resolution in morning-type and evening-type individuals with normal hearing.

The present study attempts to determine diurnal changes by testing the differential sensitivity and temporal resolution in morning-type, evening-type, and intermediate-type individuals with normal hearing. Thirty participants with normal hearing were divided into morning-type, evening-type, and intermediate-type using "Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire". The tests of differential sensitivity and temporal resolution were administered to all the participants in the morning and evening, respectively.