Kinetics of ion-mediated directed self-assembly of one-dimensional chains of metal nanoparticles in solution.

The synergistic optical, electronic, and chemical properties of metal nanoparticles present in close proximity have potential applications in energy, medicine, and sustainability. Fundamental studies and application development based on spontaneous self-assembly of one-dimensional (1D) chains of metal nanoparticles without external organization agencies have been pursued for over four decades. The spontaneous formation of 1D chains in a solution of stabilized spherical nanoparticles may be driven by the emergence of local anisotropy due to dipolar interaction, representing a trapped non-equilibrium state.

Delayed primary arterial switch for a rare and unusual variant of transposition of great arteries with posterior aorta.

Though initially described in 1971 by Van Praagh, transposition of great arteries with posterior aorta is rarely reported in last two decades. Since the arrangement of great arteries appears like normally related great arteries, a careful echocardiographic evaluation is necessary in patients with clinical features of transposition of great arteries. In majority of cases with this anatomy, arterial switch operation can be performed without the need of Le Compte manoeuvre.

Role of Digital Subtraction Angiography in the Preoperative Assessment of a Patient with a Petrosquamous Sinus: a Case Report.

We report a case of a 15-year-old Indian girl who presented with tinnitus, pain and ear discharge for one month and was preliminarily diagnosed with Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) with mastoiditis. She underwent a routine presurgical CT scan which revealed an aberrant vein, making it essential to exercise caution during surgery for CSOM. The aberrant vessel was identified as a Petrosquamous Sinus.

Fusiform "True" Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm with Basilar Artery Occlusion: A Case Report.

Isolated posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms are rare, predominantly fusiform in morphology, and rarely present with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Endovascular management of this pathology is technically challenging due to extreme tortuosity, the artery course in the subarachnoid space, sharp angulations at PCoA junctions with the parent artery, and, at times, associations with either internal carotid artery or basilar artery occlusions. We present a case of a ruptured fusiform PCoA at the junction of middle and distal third with concomitant proximal basilar artery occlusion.

Radiological findings and endovascular management of internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm in the setting of mucormycosis and COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic is now a public health emergency and has spread to nearly 206 countries across the globe. This novel disease has shaken the psycho-social, economic, and medical infrastructure of India. This has become even more challenging, considering the country's huge population.

Identification of RNA-based cell-type markers for stem-cell manufacturing systems with a statistical scoring function.

Cell-type biomarkers are useful in stem-cell manufacturing to monitor cell purity, quantity, and quality. However, the study on cell-type markers, specifically for stem cell manufacture, is limited. Emerging questions include which RNA transcripts can serve as biomarkers during stem cell culture and how to discover these biomarkers efficiently and precisely.

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygenation for sclerotherapy of facial and upper airway vascular malformations in pediatric patients: Case series.

We report anesthesia management of sclerotherapy for vascular malformations (VMs) of the upper airway and face of pediatric patients conducted under sedation using a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen delivery system. Sclerotherapy procedures were carried out in six patients (five males, one female; age group: 5-12 years). The patients were sedated with midazolam, fentanyl, ketamine, and graded doses of propofol along with continuous oxygen delivery using HFNC.

Feasibility and acceptability of telehealth and contactless delivery of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing for cervical screening with Māori and Pacific women in a COVID-19 outbreak in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Aim: To determine the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth offer and contactless delivery of human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical screening self-test during the 2021 COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand.

Methods: A small proof-of-concept study was undertaken to test telehealth approaches in never-screened, due or overdue Māori and Pacific women enrolled in a local Primary Health Organisation (PHO). Study invitation, active follow-up, nurse-led discussions, result notification and a post-test questionnaire were all delivered through telehealth.

Transferring Knowledge From Text to Video: Zero-Shot Anticipation for Procedural Actions.

Can we teach a robot to recognize and make predictions for activities that it has never seen before? We tackle this problem by learning models for video from text. This paper presents a hierarchical model that generalizes instructional knowledge from large-scale text corpora and transfers the knowledge to video. Given a portion of an instructional video, our model recognizes and predicts coherent and plausible actions multiple steps into the future, all in rich natural language.

Electrochemical Beacon Method to Quantify 10 Attomolar Nucleic Acids with a Semilog Dynamic Range of 7 Orders of Magnitude.

Change in the dynamics of single-stranded DNA or RNA probes tethered to an Au electrode on immunospecific binding to the analyte is a versatile approach to quantify a variety of molecules, such as heavy metal ions, pesticides, proteins, and nucleic acids (NAs). A widely studied approach is the electrochemical beacon method where the redox of a dye attached to the probe decreases as its proximity to the underlying electrode changes on binding. The limit of quantification (LOQ) defined by the semilog dependence of the signal on target concentration is in the picomolar range.

Endovascular Therapy in Paediatric Dissecting Intracranial Aneurysm: A Case Report.

The incidence of cerebral aneurysms is rare in children, and it has to be definitively ruled out in all cases of intracranial bleed even if there is associated history of trauma. We report a case of 11-month-old girl who presented with intracranial bleed after a history of minor trauma whose diagnosis of an intracranial aneurysm was initially missed which later led to a rebleed. It was managed emergently with endovascular coiling and the patient showed incredible recovery in the post-operative period.

Drug target ranking for glioblastoma multiforme.

Background: Glioblastoma Multiforme, an aggressive primary brain tumor, has a poor prognosis and no effective standard of care treatments. Most patients undergoing radiotherapy, along with Temozolomide chemotherapy, develop resistance to the drug, and recurrence of the tumor is a common issue after the treatment. We propose to model the pathways active in Glioblastoma using Boolean network techniques.

Vitamin D status at birth and acute respiratory infection hospitalisation during infancy.

Background: Hospital admission for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) during early childhood is a global public health concern. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent during pregnancy and infancy. Evidence indicates that vitamin D supplementation prevents ARIs.

Quantitative PCR of Small Nucleic Acids: Size Matters.

Quantitative dysregulation in small nucleic acids (NA), such as microRNA (miRNA), extracted from minimally invasive biopsies, such as, blood, stool, urine, nose, throat, are promising biomarker for diseases diagnosis and management. We quantify the effect of the extra step of poly(A) ligation for cDNA synthesis and small size of the NA on the limit of quantification (LOQ) of quantitative PCR (qPCR), the gold standard to measure copy number. It was discovered that for small NA, the cycle threshold, Ct that is proportional to -log[c], where [c] is the concentration of the target NA exhibits a sharp transition.

In Silico Modeling of the Induction of Apoptosis by Cryptotanshinone in Osteosarcoma Cell Lines.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor of both children and pet canines. Its characteristic genomic instability and complexity coupled with the dearth of knowledge about its etiology has made improvement in the current treatment difficult. We use the existing literature about the biological pathways active in OS and combine it with the current research involving natural compounds to identify new targets and design more effective drug therapies.

Polymer-Controlled Growth and Wrapping of Perovskite Single Crystals Leading to Better Device Stability and Performance.

A commodity-scale polymer is used for controlling the nucleation and growth of single crystals of organolead halide perovskite. The polymer [polystyrene (PS)] cross-links and strongly interacts with PbI and MAI (MAPbI perovskite precursors) resulting in the control of the crystallization process. The PS concentration modulates the nucleation time, crystal size, and the number of perovskite single crystals.

Electrochemical Deposition of Polyelectrolytes Is Maximum at the Potential of Zero Charge.

Electrochemical deposition of cationic and anionic polyelectrolyte on a Au electrode is studied as a function of applied potential between the electrode and the solution of monovalent electrolyte. The deposition is measured by open circuit potential relative to a pristine electrode in a reference solution (100 mM NaCl). The rate of deposition is measured by a home-built electrochemical-optical method in real time.

Structural Studies of Multifunctional SrTiO Nanocatalyst Synthesized by Microwave and Oxalate Methods: Its Catalytic Application for Condensation, Hydrogenation, and Amination Reactions.

The present study deals with the synthesis of SrTiO (STO) nanocatalysts by conventional oxalate and microwave-assisted hydrothermal methods. Thorough characterization of the nanocatalysts synthesized has been done by using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N physisorption, transmission electron microscopy, total acidity by pyridine adsorption method, and acidic strength by -butylamine potentiometric titration, respectively. Structural parameters were estimated by Rietveld refinement analysis from XRD data which confirms cubic structure of SrTiO.

Electrochemical Characteristics of a DNA Modified Electrode as a Function of Percent Binding.

Electrochemical characteristics of immobilized double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) on a Au electrode were studied as a function of coverage using a home-built optoelectrochemical method. The method allows probing of local redox processes on a 6 μm spot by measuring both differential reflectivity (SEED-R) and interferometry (SEED-I). The former is sensitive to redox ions that tend to adsorb to the electrode, while SEED-I is sensitive to nonadsorbing ions.

An in-silico study examining the induction of apoptosis by Cryptotanshinone in metastatic melanoma cell lines.

Background: Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that evades various anti-cancer treatments including surgery, radio-,immuno- and chemo-therapy. TRAIL-induced apoptosis is a desirable method to treat melanoma since, unlike other treatments, it does not harm non-cancerous cells. The pro-inflammatory response to melanoma by nF κB and STAT3 pathways makes the cancer cells resist TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Self-Powered Photodetector Based on Electric-Field-Induced Effects in MAPbI Perovskite with Improved Stability.

A monolith photodetector is presented that utilizes the material properties of MAPbI perovskite for self-powered operation and achieves improved stability by composting with polystyrene. The self-powered operation makes this device suitable for remote applications and in smart systems. Improved stability of more than 20 days, with performance maintained by over 80% under ambient conditions, is achieved by incorporating polystyrene without additional fabrication steps.

Simultaneous Printing of Two Inks by Contact Lithography.

Microcontact printing (μCP) is a valuable technique used to fabricate complex patterns on surfaces for applications such as sensors, cell seeding, self-assembled monolayers of proteins and nanoparticles, and micromachining. The process is very precise but is typically confined to depositing a single type of ink per print, which limits the complexity of using multifunctionality patterns. Here we describe a process by which two inks are printed concomitantly in a single operation to create an alternating pattern of hydrophobic and hydrophilic characteristics.

Quantitation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in dried blood spots by 2D LC-MS/MS without derivatization and correlation with serum in adult and pediatric studies.

Background: Demand for measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) is growing and dried blood spot (DBS) sampling is attractive as samples are easier to collect, transport and store.

Methods: A 2D LC-MS/MS assay without derivatization was developed. DBS punches (3.

Quantitative Electrochemical DNA Microarray on a Monolith Electrode with Ten Attomolar Sensitivity, 100% Specificity, and Zero Background.

Circulating microRNA are promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of disease in quantitative blood tests. A label-free, PCR-free, electrochemical microarray technology on a monolith electrode is described, with 10 attomolar (aM) sensitivity and responsiveness to binding of <1 zeptomole of target to immobilized ssDNA probes with zero background. Specificity is 100% in a mixture with five nonspecific miRNA each with a 10-fold higher concentration.