Serum pro-brain natriuretic peptide correlates with optical coherence tomography indices in diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: Serum pro-brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a 108-amino-acid prohormone that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion, protecting pericytes from cell death and decreasing retinal vascularization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of serum pro-BNP with optical coherence tomography (OCT) indices in diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated 96 consecutive subjects aged between 40 and 65 years: controls n = 24, no diabetic retinopathy (NoDR) n = 24, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) n = 24, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) n = 24.

Crop suitability analysis for the coastal region of India through fusion of remote sensing, geospatial analysis and multi-criteria decision making.

Crop suitability analysis plays an important role in identifying and utilizing the areas suitable for better crop growth and higher yield without deteriorating the natural resources. The present study aimed to identify suitable areas for rice and coconut cultivation across the coastal region of India using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) integrated with geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. A total of nine parameters were selected for suitability analysis including elevation, slope, soil depth, drainage, texture, pH, soil organic carbon, rainfall, temperature and a land use land cover (LULC) constraint map.

Metabolite profiling and bioactivity of fungal endofauna from Xiphinema nuragicum in the rhizosphere of Withania somnifera.

Gut-associated fungal endofauna confronted with stressful conditions have the potential to secrete diverse bioactive metabolites. In this context, the present study aims to uncover the hidden metabolite profiling of less explored fungal gut parasites associated with rhizosphere nematodes of Withania somnifera. The nematode Xiphinema nuragicum, predominantly found in W.

How an external electric field makes N2O a potent oxidizing agent.

The present work investigates the impact of the external electric field (EEF) on the oxidizing power of N 2 O, by employing kinetics and quantum chemical calculations. We have taken the oxidation of olefin (Ethene and cyclohexene) by N 2 O as a prototype to demonstrate the effectiveness of EEF. The investigation suggests that the reaction barrier is significantly reduced by choosing an electric field in an appropriate direction.