Decoding early stress signaling waves in living plants using nanosensor multiplexing.

Increased exposure to environmental stresses due to climate change have adversely affected plant growth and productivity. Upon stress, plants activate a signaling cascade, involving multiple molecules like HO and plant hormones such as salicylic acid (SA) leading to resistance or stress adaptation. However, the temporal ordering and composition of the resulting cascade remains largely unknown.

Optic Neuritis following Second Administration of COVID-19 Vaccine: A Case Report.

A 28-year-old woman presented to eye casualty with signs and symptoms suggestive of optic neuritis following a recent COVID-19 vaccination (the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine). The best corrected visual acuity was 6/15 in the right eye and 6/6 in the left eye with a relative afferent pupillary defect in the right eye. Following examination and investigation, she was found to fit the McDonald criteria for multiple sclerosis and was commenced on disease-modifying therapy.

Genetic testing in four Indian families with suspected Stickler syndrome.

Purpose: Stickler syndrome is associated with the development of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), and often presents with ocular, auditory, skeletal, and orofacial abnormalities. Molecular analysis has proven effective in diagnosis, confirmation and classification of the disease. We aimed to describe the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in genetic analysis of four Indian families with suspected Stickler syndrome.

Nanosensor Detection of Synthetic Auxins using Corona Phase Molecular Recognition.

Synthetic auxins such as 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) have been extensively used in plant tissue cultures and as herbicides because they are chemically more stable and potent than most endogenous auxins. A tool for rapid detection of these compounds will enhance our knowledge about hormone distribution and signaling and facilitate more efficient usage of synthetic auxins in agriculture. In this work, we show the development of real-time and nondestructive NAA and 2,4-D nanosensors based on the concept of corona phase molecular recognition (CoPhMoRe), to replace the current state-of-the-art sensing methods that are destructive and laborious.

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy-new insights and old challenges.

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorder with the majority of patients harboring one of three primary mtDNA point mutations, namely, m.3460G>A (MTND1), m.11778G>A (MTND4), and m.

Metabolic Engineering of the Native Monoterpene Pathway in Spearmint for Production of Heterologous Monoterpenes Reveals Complex Metabolism and Pathway Interactions.

Spearmint produces and stores large amounts of monoterpenes, mainly limonene and carvone, in glandular trichomes and is the major natural source of these compounds. Towards producing heterologous monoterpenes in spearmint, we first reduced the flux into the native limonene pathway by knocking down the expression of limonene synthase () by RNAi method. The RNAi lines exhibited a huge reduction in the synthesis of limonene and carvone.

Characterization of a sweet basil acyltransferase involved in eugenol biosynthesis.

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants produce its characteristic phenylpropene-rich essential oil in specialized structures known as peltate glandular trichomes (PGTs). Eugenol and chavicol are the major phenylpropenes produced by sweet basil varieties whose synthetic pathways are not fully elucidated. Eugenol is derived from coniferyl acetate by a reaction catalysed by eugenol synthase.

Optical sectioning and high resolution visualization of trabecular meshwork using Bessel beam assisted light sheet fluorescence microscopy.

Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness, is an eye disease caused by irregularities in the ocular aqueous outflow system causing an elevated intraocular pressure. High resolution imaging of the aqueous outflow system comprising trabecular meshwork is immensely valuable to vision analysts and clinicians in comprehending the disease state for the efficacious analysis and treatment of glaucoma. Currently available ocular imaging devices are unable to deliver high resolution images for the visualization of the trabecular meshwork.

Role of pretreatment and evidence for the enhanced biodegradation and mineralization of low-density polyethylene films by greater waxworm.

The present study reports the role of pretreatment for the enhanced biodegradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with (Greater waxworm). The pretreatment of the LDPE film was carried out under solar radiation. The pretreated LDPE (PTLDPE) and untreated LDPE (UTLDPE) were characterized with AFM, FTIR and H NMR techniques.

Bifunctional Fluorescent/Raman Nanoprobe for the Early Detection of Amyloid.

One of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the abnormal aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides. Therefore the detection of Aβ peptides and imaging of amyloid plaques are considered as promising diagnostic methods for AD. Here we report a bifunctional nanoprobe prepared by conjugating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with Rose Bengal (RB) dye.

Efficient biodegradation of polyethylene (HDPE) waste by the plastic-eating lesser waxworm (Achroia grisella).

Polyethylene (PE) is one of the major persistent plastic that is not biodegradable at considerable rates in most environments, and is the major source of unceasing environmental pollution. Recently, biodegradation of plastic wastes through waxworms and mealworms were reported. The present study focuses on the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) degradation capabilities of the larvae of Achroia grisella (lesser waxworm) and its ability to complete its life cycle when fed with HDPE.

Simultaneous Imaging and Selective Photothermal Therapy through Aptamer-Driven Au Nanosphere Clustering.

Gold (Au) nanoparticles display enhanced near-infrared (NIR) photothermal effects upon the formation of clusters. We studied the photothermal properties of Au nanosphere clusters on the single-particle level using photothermal heterodyne imaging (PTHI) microscopy to understand the enhancement mechanisms. NIR photothermal responses of Au nanoparticle clusters were found to significantly increase from monomers to trimers.

Screening for mutation hotspots in Bardet-Biedl syndrome patients from India.

Background & Objectives: Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous autosomal recessive disorder characterized by multiple organ defects involving retina, kidney, liver and brain. Disease-causing mutations in BBS genes narrowed down by homozygosity mapping in small consanguineous and non-consanguineous pedigrees were reported in 80 per cent of the study population. This study was aimed to screen these genes (BBS3, BBS10) and specific exons of BBS genes (BBS1, BBS5, MKKS, BBS9, BBS11 and BBS12) for recurrent mutations in a selected sample of BBS patients.

Chitosan nanoparticles' functionality as redox active drugs through cytotoxicity, radical scavenging and cellular behaviour.

Targeting the oxidative stress response has recently emerged as a promising strategy for the development of therapeutic drugs for a broad spectrum of diseases. Supporting this strategy, we have reported that chitosan nanoparticles synthesized with a controlled size had selective cytotoxicity in leukemia cells through the mechanism related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Herein, we found that the cellular uptake of chitosan nanoparticles was enhanced in a time dependent manner and inhibited the cellular proliferation of leukemia cells in a dose dependent manner with elevation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) showing a stronger effect on apoptosis, associated with the upregulation of caspase activity and the depletion of reduced glutathione.

Genetic association of SNPs near ATOH7, CARD10, CDKN2B, CDC7 and SIX1/SIX6 with the endophenotypes of primary open angle glaucoma in Indian population.

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) belonging to a group of optic neuropathies, result from interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Study of associations with quantitative traits (QTs) is one of the successful strategies to understand the complex genetics of POAG. The current study attempts to explore the association of variations near/in genes like ATOH7, SIX1/SIX6 complex, CDKN2B, CARD10, and CDC7 with POAG and its QTs including vertical cup to disc ratio (VCDR), central corneal thickness (CCT), intra ocular pressure (IOP), and axial length (AL).

Electromechanical properties of stripe-electroded tangentially polarized piezoelectric flexural bars.

Piezoelectric bar transducers are commonly used for generating low frequency flexural mode vibrations. The paper calculates the electromechanical properties including the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient of the stripe-electroded tangentially polarized bar transducer vibrating in flexure under the simply supported boundary condition. A numerical analysis is used to model the curved electric field lines.

Improved calculations of the electromechanical properties of tangentially poled stripe-electroded piezoelectric bars and cylinders with nonuniform electric fields.

Tangentially polarized stripe-electroded piezoelectric elements are often used to achieve the longitudinal piezoelectric effect without using segmented parts bonded together, however the electromechanical properties are not fully realized due to the nonuniform electric field and polarization in the element. The effective electromechanical coupling coefficient k(3'3eff), piezoelectric modulus d(3'3eff), elastic constant s(3'3eff)(E), and relative dielectric constant ε(3'3eff)(T) (where the prime denotes the nonuniform polarization) for tangentially polarized stripe-electroded bars and hollow cylinders are calculated using the energy method for the nonuniform electric field. A finite difference method is used to analyze the electric field under the assumption that the piezoelement is fully polarized.

Genome-wide association analyses identify three new susceptibility loci for primary angle closure glaucoma.

Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study including 1,854 PACG cases and 9,608 controls across 5 sample collections in Asia. Replication experiments were conducted in 1,917 PACG cases and 8,943 controls collected from a further 6 sample collections.

Effect of lens epithelial cell aspiration on postoperative capsulorhexis contraction with the use of the AcrySof intraocular lens: randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: To determine whether aspiration of lens epithelial cells (LECs) from under the anterior capsule reduces postoperative contraction of the capsulorhexis aperture.

Setting: Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.

Methods: This prospective randomized observer-masked study comprised 100 patients who had routine phacoemulsification by the same surgeon at a district general hospital in the United Kingdom.