Sculpting - A Modern Menace.

Background: Sculpting is a common occupation in India. However, there have been no studies from India on sculpting-related silicosis.

Aims: The aims of this study were to evaluate- 1.

Endothelial RUNX3 controls LSEC dysfunction and angiocrine LRG1 signaling to prevent liver fibrosis.

Background And Aims: Liver fibrosis represents a global health burden, given the paucity of approved antifibrotic therapies. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) play a major gatekeeping role in hepatic homeostasis and liver disease pathophysiology. In early tumorigenesis, runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) functions as a sentinel; however, its function in liver fibrosis in LSECs remains unclear.

Carbohydrate-Based Reprocessable and Healable Covalent Adaptable Biofoams.

Polymeric foams derived from bio-based resources and capable of self-healing and recycling ability are of great demand to fulfill various applications and address environmental concerns related to accumulation of plastic wastes. In this article, a set of polyester-based covalent adaptable biofoams (CABs) synthesized from carbohydrates and other bio-derived precursors under catalyst free conditions to offer a sustainable alternative to conventional toxic isocyanate-based polyurethane foams is reported. The dynamic β-keto carboxylate linkages present in these biofoams impart self-healing ability and recyclability to these samples.

Follow-up study of COVID-19 sequelae (FOSCO study).

Introduction: We undertook the first study from India to evaluate the long-term health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: The patients enrolled in our post-COVID-19 clinic were followed up for assessment at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after recovery from acute disease prospectively.

Results: 200 patients with mean age of 50.

Contemporary Considerations in the Evolution of Wearable Technology for Arrhythmia Detection.

Arrhythmias are an increasingly common cause of hospital admissions worldwide. Late detection of arrhythmias is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular complications. Early identification and management of life-threatening arrhythmias is paramount to reduce mortality.

Myriocin suppresses tumor growth by modulating macrophage polarization and function through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

Macrophages within the tumor microenvironment (TME), referred to as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), are involved in various aspects of tumor progression including initiation, angiogenesis, metastasis, immunosuppression, and resistance to therapy. Myriocin, a natural compound isolated from Mycelia sterilia, is an immunosuppressant that inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of myriocin on TAMs and TAM-mediated tumor growth have not yet been elucidated.

Percutaneous approach for reducing outflow tract obstruction in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) affects approximately 1 in 500 people globally. The condition results in hypertrophy of the interventricular septum and thickening of the left ventricular wall. Surgical management to resect the thickened myocardium or septal alcohol ablation are currently considered the mainstay treatment option for HOCM refractory to pharmacological therapy.

Clinical Profile of Adult Bronchial Asthma Patients Presenting at a Tertiary Care Teaching Institute in Northern India.

Background: In the previous four decades there have been remarkable changes and development in the approach toward the diagnosis and management of asthma. There are wide variations in the clinical profile of asthma patients in different parts of a vast country like India due to significant variations in the geography, culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic profile of the Indian population. In the present study, we have aimed to study the clinical profile of adult asthmatic patients in a tertiary care teaching institute in Northern India.

Closed-loop recyclable and biodegradable thioester-based covalent adaptable networks.

Closed-loop recyclable and biodegradable aliphatic covalent adaptable networks (CANs) based on dynamic β-CO thioester linkages that exhibit a service temperature beyond 100 °C are reported. These CANs possessing tensile strength and modulus values of up to 0.3 and 3 MPa, respectively, effectively undergo stress relaxation above 100 °C.

Gene Mutations in Cushing's Syndrome.

Background: Prolonged exposure to glucocorticoids can result in the development of Cushing's syndrome. Excess serum cortisol can occur due to several factors including exogenous steroids, pituitary and adrenal adenoma, and ectopic ACTH secretion.

Summary: The last 2 decades have seen significant progress in identifying new genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying hypercortisolemia.

Stress-Induced Shape-Shifting Materials Possessing Autonomous Self-Healing and Scratch-Resistant Ability.

Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) capable of both shape-shifting and self-healing ability offer a viable alternative to 4D printing technology to gain access to various complex shapes in a simplified manner. However, most of the reported CANs exhibit shape-shifting ability in the presence of temperature, light or chemical stimuli, which restricts their further utilization as realization of such a controlled environment is not feasible under complex scenarios. Herewith, we report a set of CANs based on a room-temperature exchangeable thia-Michael adduct, which undergoes rearrangement in network topology on application of external stress.

Temporal trend analysis of rheumatic heart disease burden in high-income countries between 1990 and 2019.

Aims: To assesses trends in rheumatic heart disease (RHD) burden in high-income, European Union 15+ (EU15+) countries between 1990 and 2019.

Methods And Results: Cross-sectional analysis of the incidence and mortality of RHD was conducted using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study database. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) were extracted for EU15+ countries per sex for each of the years from 1990 to 2019, inclusive, and mortality-to-incidence indices (MII) were computed.

Intermittent fasting protects the nigral dopaminergic neurons from MPTP-mediated dopaminergic neuronal injury in mice.

Dietary restriction through low-calorie intake or intermittent fasting benefits many organs, including the brain. This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of fasting in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease. We found that fasting every other day rather than weekly increased the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial-derived neurotrophic factor in the nigrostriatal pathway.

Dual anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic activity of myriocin synergistically enhances the anti-tumor activity of cisplatin.

Purpose: Tumor microenvironment consists of various kind of cells, forming complex interactions and signal transductions for tumor growth. Due to this complexity, targeting multiple kinases could yield improved clinical outcomes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of myriocin, from Mycelia sterilia, as a novel dual-kinase inhibitor and suggest myriocin as a candidate for combined chemotherapy.

Trends in the incidence and mortality of infective endocarditis in high-income countries between 1990 and 2019.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a life-threatening disease with high morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: To describe temporal trends in IE incidence, mortality and survival over the last 30 years.

Methods: Nineteen high-income countries (the 'EU 15+') were included.

Characterizing the third wave of COVID-19: An analysis from the National Clinical Registry of COVID-19.

Background & Objectives: Data from the National Clinical Registry for COVID-19 (NCRC) were analyzed with an aim to describe the clinical characteristics, course and outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the third wave of the pandemic and compare them with patients admitted earlier.

Methods: The NCRC, launched in September 2020, is a multicentre observational initiative, which provided the platform for the current investigation. Demographic, clinical, treatment and outcome data of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were captured in an electronic data portal from 38 hospitals across India.

Recent Updates and Technological Developments in Evaluating Cardiac Syncope in the Emergency Department.

Syncope is a commonly encountered problem in the emergency department (ED), accounting for approximately 3% of presenting complaints. Clinical assessment of syncope can be challenging due to the diverse range of conditions that can precipitate the symptom. Annual mortality for patients presenting with syncope ranges from 0-12%, and if the syncope is secondary to a cardiac cause, then this figure rises to 18-33%.

Post-COVID-19 pulmonary cavitation and tension pneumothorax in a non-ventilated patient.

Cavitation and pneumothorax are independently associated with high morbidity and mortality in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). While spontaneous (non-traumatic) pneumothorax formation has commonly been observed among mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients, there are few rare reports of COVID-19 associated pneumothorax without any history of barotrauma and other conventional risk factors. Here, we report a unique case of post-COVID-19 cavitation and tension pneumothorax which was further complicated by hydropneumothorax formation in a young patient who suffered severe COVID-19 pneumonia 4 weeks back.

Catastrophic case of suppurative, embolic and fistulating infective endocarditis causing complete heart block.

Complete heart block, aortic root abscess and aortic valve regurgitation are well-recognized complications of infective endocarditis of the aortic valve. Splenic abscess and aorto-cavitary fistula are rarer phenomena and are indicative of calamitous infection. The authors present the case of an otherwise healthy 61-year-old man presenting with a 2-month history of non-specific symptoms, who developed suppurative endocarditis with a fistulating aortic root abscess, combined with severe sepsis, splenic embolization and complete heart block.

A unique case of uncorrected Fallot's tetralogy with nasal dermoid cyst and median cleft lip presenting during postpartum.

While tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease among children, its first presentation in the third decade of life just after successful pregnancy outcome is extremely rare. In fact, survival of both child and mother having uncorrected TOF after noninstitutional delivery is unheard of. Herein, authors report a case of previously undiagnosed TOF associated with other midline congenital abnormalities, that is, nasal dermoid cyst and cleft palate, who presented for the first time with postpartum hemorrhage after an unsupervised home birth.

Healable, Recyclable, and Programmable Shape Memory Organogels Based on Highly Malleable Catalyst-Free Carboxylate Linkages.

The development of healable and recyclable organogels possessing responsive abilities is mainly hindered by the unavailability of many dynamic covalent linkages that undergo exchange reaction below the boiling temperature of organic swelling medium. Furthermore, the exchange is desired to be effective under catalyst-free conditions to circumvent the issue of catalyst leaching during the swelling process. Especially, imparting swift reversibility to thermostable carboxylate linkages is challenging.

Recurrent Facial Focal Seizures With Chronic Striatopathy and Caudate Atrophy-A Double Whammy in an Elderly Woman With Diabetes Mellitus.

Seizures and involuntary movements are relatively rare, but well-known neurological complications of non-ketotic hyperglycemia. While hemichorea-hemiballism secondary to diabetic striatopathy is increasingly being reported, unilateral caudate atrophy resulting from chronic vascular insufficiency/insult in a backdrop of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus is sparsely described in literature. We herein report a 75-year-old woman with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus who presented with concurrent epilepsia partialis continua involving left side of her face and hemichorea on the right side in the context of non-ketotic hyperglycemia.

Current and Emerging Classes of Pharmacological Agents for the Management of Hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease accounts for more than 17 million deaths globally every year, of which complications of hypertension account for 9.4 million deaths worldwide. Early detection and management of hypertension can prevent costly interventions, including dialysis and cardiac surgery.