Assessment of stress among parents of neonates admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India.

Background: An infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a potentially stressful event for parents. Severe stress is experienced by parents, affecting their mental health and relationship, and infants' development. The current study aims to assess the stress levels among parents of neonates admitted to NICU and to identify the factors influencing their stress levels.

Cut-off Values and Clinical Utility of Surrogate Markers for Insulin Resistance and Beta-Cell Function to Identify Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components among Southern Indian Adults.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is a collective clinical entity that exacerbates metabolic syndrome (MetS). As the gold-standard test to quantify IR involves intravenous insulin loading and repeated blood glucose monitoring, many indices have been developed for IR assessment for convenience. This study tested the ideal cut-off values and clinical utility of IR indices in identifying MetS.

Current Updates in Transdermal Therapeutic Systems and Their Role in Neurological Disorders.

The transdermal therapeutic system plays an important role in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Transdermal drug delivery is considered an ideal therapeutic approach for the management of chronic neurological disorders in the elderly population. It is a simple to use, non-invasive and painless drug delivery system, which provides sustained therapeutic plasma levels of drug for an extended period.

Effect of Reagent Vibration and Rotation on the State-to-State Dynamics of the Hydrogen Exchange Reaction, H + H → H + H.

State-to-state dynamics of the benchmark hydrogen exchange reaction H + H ( = 0-4, = 0-3) → H (', ') + H is investigated with the aid of the real wave packet approach of Gray and Balint-Kurti ( 1998, , 950-962) and electronic ground BKMP2 potential energy surface of Boothroyd ( 1996, , 7139-7152). Initial state-selected and product state-resolved reaction probabilities, integral cross section, and product diatom vibrational and rotational level populations at a few collision energies are reported to elucidate the energy disposal mechanism. State-specific thermal rate constants are also calculated and compared with the available literature results.

Impaired baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac autonomic functions are associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors among patients with metabolic syndrome in a tertiary care teaching hospital of South-India.

Background & Aim: Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) have been proposed to assess early autonomic dysfunction in metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients. Autonomic dysfunction in MetS patients may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the association of BRS and HRV with CVD risk factors remains elusive in MetS.

Thyroid dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its association with diabetic complications.

Background And Aims: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are more prone to thyroid disorders. Hypothyroidism in them leads to an aggravation of microvascular complications. Diabetic patients with hypothyroidism also are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Management of Mass Death in COVID-19 Pandemic in an Indian Perspective.

Current international experience has shown the vulnerability of health-care systems of developed nations, and of developing nations such as India, to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster with mass casualties. International experience has revealed that, even in the countries where mass disasters are less frequent and not involved in conflicts, they are overwhelmed with COVID-19 deaths.

Effect of Thyroxine Replacement on Leydig Cell and Sertoli Cell Function in Men with Hypothyroidism.

Context: Thyroid hormones play an important role in reproductive and sexual function in both sexes. Comprehensive information on the ill-effects of hypothyroidism on Leydig cell, Sertoli cell and germ cell function is lacking in the existing literature.

Aims: To investigate the effect of primary hypothyroidism and its treatment on testicular function - Sertoli cell, Leydig cells, seminal fluid and spermatozoa.

Increased osteoprotegerin level is associated with impaired cardiovagal modulation in type-2 diabetic patients treated with oral antidiabetic drugs.

Background: An increased osteoprotegerin (OPG) level has been reported in both type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diease (CVD) that are linked to sympathovagal imbalance (SVI). We explored the link of osteoprotegerin with cardiovagal modulation in T2DM.

Methods: We assessed fasting serum OPG, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), glucose, insulin and lipid profile in patients having T2DM receiving oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD) (n = 42) compared with age, gender and body composition-matched healthy participants without diabetes (n = 42).

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adult population in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This review was done to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among adult general population in India. We also wanted to find the gender, setting, and region-wide distribution of MS in India.

Methods: We conducted systematic searches in various databases including Medline, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library and Google Scholar from inception until August 2019.

FeO coated guargum nanoparticles as non-genotoxic materials for biological application.

The current study aims to check various behavioural, developmental, cytotoxic, and genotoxic effects of FeO-GG nanocomposite (GGNCs) on Drosophila melanogaster. FeO nanoparticles were prepared by the chemical co-precipitation method and cross-linked with guargum nanoparticles to prepare the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and FTIR techniques.

Intensive Glycemic Control for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing: A Multicentric, Randomized, Parallel Arm, Single-Blind, Controlled Study Protocol (INGLOBE Study).

Hyperglycemia impairs healing of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). But there is no evidence regarding benefit of intensive glucose control for healing of DFU. We plan to conduct a randomized, parallel arm, controlled study to assess the role of intensive glycemic management in comparison to conventional glucose control for healing of DFU.

Islet cell dysfunction in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized by progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the pancreas that eventually leads to pancreatic exocrine and endocrine insufficiency. Diabetes in the background of CP is very difficult to manage due to high glycemic variability and concomitant malabsorption. Progressive beta cell loss leading to insulin deficiency is the cardinal mechanism underlying diabetes development in CP.

Effect of adjunctive single dose parenteral Vitamin D supplementation in major depressive disorder with concurrent vitamin D deficiency: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Adjunctive vitamin D replacement is a theoretically promising strategy to improve outcomes in major depression. Our objective was to assess the efficacy of a single parenteral dose of vitamin D supplementation at baseline as an adjunct to treatment as usual on change in depression symptom ratings (primary outcome), quality of life and clinical severity of illness (secondary outcomes) at the end of 12 weeks when compared to treatment as usual in patients with major depression and concurrent Vitamin D deficiency. Eligible participants were randomized to receive either treatment as usual (TAU; n = 23) or TAU plus single parenteral dose of 3,00,000 IU of vitamin D (n = 23) at baseline.

Self-Assembled Pt Metallosupramolecular Tubular Cage as Dual Warhead Antibacterial Agent in Water.

Development of photosensitizer-based self-assembled metallosupramolecular architectures with important applications is an emerging trend in supramolecular chemistry. In this study, we report a new benzothiadiazole-based tetra-pyridyl ligand (), which upon self-assembly with a block 90° Pt(II) acceptor generated an unprecedented tetrafacial Pt(II) photoactive tubular molecular cage (). This cage could bring an extraordinary photosensitizer, benzothiadiazole, into water which is otherwise insoluble.

Parathyroid Hormone Replacement versus Oral Calcium and Active Vitamin D Supplementation in Hypoparathyroidism: A Meta-analysis.

Objectives: Chronic hypoparathyroidism is treated conventionally with active vitamin D and high doses of calcium. Recombinant human parathyroid hormone (PTH) replacement is an attractive option for treating patients with hypoparathyroidism since it can replace the physiological action of native PTH. The aim of our study was to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of PTH replacement on calcium homeostasis, bone metabolism, and daily requirement of calcium and active vitamin D.

Silk degumming time controls horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed hydrogel properties.

Hydrogels provide promising applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with silk fibroin (SF) offering biocompatibility, biodegradability and tunable mechanical properties. The molecular weight (MW) distribution of SF chains varies from ∼80 to 400 kDa depending on the extraction and purification process utilized to prepare the protein polymer. Here, we report a fundamental study on the effect of different silk degumming (extraction) time (DT) on biomaterial properties of enzymatically crosslinked hydrogels, including secondary structure, mechanical stiffness, in vitro degradation, swelling/contraction, optical transparency and cell behaviour.

Synthesis and Characterization of Silk Ionomers for Layer-by-Layer Electrostatic Deposition on Individual Mammalian Cells.

Nanocoating of individual mammalian cells with polymer layers has been of increasing interest in biotechnology and biomedical engineering applications. Electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes on negatively charged cell surfaces has been utilized for cell nanocoatings using synthetic or natural polymers with a net charge at physiological conditions. Here, our previous synthesis of silk-based ionomers through modification of silk fibroin (SF) with polyglutamate (PG) and polylysine (PL) was exploited for the nanocoating of mammalian cells.

Divergent Self-Assembly Pathways to Hierarchically Organized Networks of Isopeptide-Modified Discotics under Kinetic Control.

Natural proteins traverse complex free energy landscapes to assemble into hierarchically organized structures, often through stimuli-directed kinetic pathways in response to relevant biological cues. Bioinspired strategies have sought to emulate the complexity, dynamicity, and modularity exhibited in these natural processes with synthetic analogues. However, these efforts are limited by many factors that complicate the rational design and predictable assembly of synthetic constructs, especially in aqueous environments.

Binuclear Lanthanide(III) Complexes with Chiral Ligands: Dynamic Equilibria in Solution and Binding with Nucleotides Studied by Spectroscopic Methods.

Binuclear lanthanide complexes of Eu(III) and Sm(III) were obtained in the presence of chiral ligand 1,2-(R,R+S,S)-N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethylene),2-diamine. An unusual structure of the Eu(III) compound with two lanthanide atoms connected through two chlorines was determined by X-ray crystallography. In solution, the dimer coexists with a monomeric complex, and the stability of the binuclear form depends on the solvent and concentration.

Relationship of subclinical hypothyroidism and obesity in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of obesity and its relationship with subclinical hypothyroidism in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). To compare the clinico-biochemical parameters of obese and lean PCOS patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 287 women with PCOS were included in this study after consent.