Self-powered integrated microfluidic point-of-care low-cost enabling (SIMPLE) chip.

Portable, low-cost, and quantitative nucleic acid detection is desirable for point-of-care diagnostics; however, current polymerase chain reaction testing often requires time-consuming multiple steps and costly equipment. We report an integrated microfluidic diagnostic device capable of on-site quantitative nucleic acid detection directly from the blood without separate sample preparation steps. First, we prepatterned the amplification initiator [magnesium acetate (MgOAc)] on the chip to enable digital nucleic acid amplification.

A review on various electrochemical techniques for heavy metal ions detection with different sensing platforms.

Heavy metal ions are non-biodegradable and contaminate most of the natural resources occurring in the environment including water. Some of the heavy metals including Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr) and Cadmium (Cd) are considered to be highly toxic and hazardous to human health even at trace levels. This leads to the requirement of fast, accurate and reliable techniques for the detection of heavy metal ions.

Pathophysiological significance and therapeutic applications of snake venom protease inhibitors.

Protease inhibitors are important constituents of snake venom and play important roles in the pathophysiology of snakebite. Recently, research on snake venom protease inhibitors has provided valuable information to decipher the molecular details of various biological processes and offer insight for the development of some therapeutically important molecules from snake venom. The process of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, in addition to affecting platelet function, are well known as the major targets of several snake venom protease inhibitors.

Betulinic acid attenuates renal fibrosis in rat chronic kidney disease model.

Background: Most chronic kidney diseases (CKDs), regardless of the nature of the initial injury, progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) characterized by fibrosis with irreversible loss of tissue and function. Thus, improved and more effective therapies are critical. Betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic triterpene is a compound in the pipeline of anti-cancer drug development.

Fragmented QRS as a Marker of Electrical Dyssynchrony to Predict Inter-Ventricular Conduction Defect by Subsequent Echocardiographic Assessment in Symptomatic Patients of Non-Ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony frequently occurs in patients with heart failure (HF). QRS ≥ 120 ms is a surrogate marker of electrical dyssynchrony, which occurs in only 30% of HF patients. In contrary, in those with normal QRS (nQRS) duration, LV dyssynchrony has been reported in 20-50%.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus With Eisenmenger Syndrome: Difficult Diagnosis Made Easily With Saline Contrast Echocardiography.

The diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with Eisenmenger syndrome is difficult. We report a case of 35-year-old male who came to our outpatient department (OPD) for evaluation of repeated hemoptysis and dyspnea on exertion. He had already completed two courses of ATT.

Atypical Double Right Coronary Artery Presenting With Acute Coronary Syndrome, Cardiogenic Shock and Complete Heart Block.

Double right coronary artery (RCA) is an extremely rare coronary artery anomaly. We here report an atherosclerotic double RCA which appeared after primary percutaneous intervention performed to treat a 34-year-old male presenting with acute inferior myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock and complete heart block. This is an unusual case as double RCA had been hidden by total atherosclerotic occlusion of the proximal part of the RCA and complete restoration of patency led complete heart block back to normal sinus rhythm.

Efficacy and Safety of Thrombolytic Therapy in Acute Submassive Pulmonary Embolism: Follow-Up Study.

Background: Thrombolysis in acute submassive pulmonary embolism (PE) remains controversial. So we studied impact of thrombolytic therapy in acute submassive PE in terms of mortality, hemodynamic status, improvement in right ventricular function, and safety in terms of major and minor bleeding.

Method: A single-center, prospective, randomized study of 86 patients was conducted at LPS Institute of Cardiology, G.

Influence of Television Advertising on Behavior of Children across Socioeconomic Backgrounds.

Introduction: This research analyzed the influence of television on the behavior of children belonging to urban and rural socioeconomic backgrounds of Bhopal city and its vicinity.

Materials And Methods: About 400 parents with children between 1 and 18 years of age were subjected to a self-designed questionnaire, which sought information regarding the television viewing habits of children. Differences in responses were noted between the subjects of urban and rural areas.

Primary Amide Directed Regioselective ortho-C-H-Arylation of (Aryl)Acetamides.

An efficient and regioselective palladium(II)-catalyzed primary acetamide assisted ortho arylation of arylacetamide has been discovered. This is the first report where functionalizable primary acetamide (-CHCONH) is used as a directing group for C(sp)-H activation/cross-coupling reactions, circumventing the extra steps of installation and subsequent removal of the directing groups. The synthetic utility of this transformation is demonstrated through the scale-up synthesis.

Sodium alginate and gum acacia hydrogels of ZnO nanoparticles show wound healing effect on fibroblast cells.

An ideal biomaterial for wound dressing applications should possess antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties without any toxicity to the host cells while providing the maximum healing activity. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) possess antimicrobial activity and enhance wound healing, but the questions regarding their safety arise before application to the biological systems. We synthesized ZnONPs-loaded-sodium alginate-gum acacia hydrogels (SAGA-ZnONPs) by cross linking hydroxyl groups of the polymers sodium alginate and gum acacia with the aldehyde group of gluteradehyde.

Containing the Cost of Heart Failure Management: A Focus on Reducing Readmissions.

Heart failure (HF) consumes a large proportion of the total national health care budget. Incidence and prevalence of HF are increasing and may give rise to an unsustainable increase in health care spending. Hospitalizations account for the vast majority of HF-related expenses, and 20% to 25% of patients discharged with a diagnosis of HF are readmitted within 60 days.

Coronary Angiography Safety between Transradial and Transfemoral Access.

The aim of study was to evaluate safety, feasibility, and procedural variables of transradial approach compared with transfemoral approach in a standard population of patients undergoing coronary catheterization as one of the major criticisms of the transradial approach is that it takes longer overall procedure and fluoroscopy time, thereby causing more radiation exposure. Between January 2015 and December 2015, a total of 1,997 patients in LPS Institute of Cardiology, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, UP, India, undergoing coronary catheterization were randomly assigned to the transradial or transfemoral approach. Successful catheterization was achieved in 1045 of 1076 patients (97.

Identification of Potential Peptides or Allergen Shot Candidates Against .

is capable of causing invasive aspergillosis or acute bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and the current situation is alarming. There are no vaccine or allergen shots available for -induced allergies. Thus, a novel approach in designing of an effective vaccine or allergen shot candidate against is needed.

Phospholipase D activity couples plasma membrane endocytosis with retromer dependent recycling.

During illumination, the light-sensitive plasma membrane (rhabdomere) of photoreceptors undergoes turnover with consequent changes in size and composition. However, the mechanism by which illumination is coupled to rhabdomere turnover remains unclear. We find that photoreceptors contain a light-dependent phospholipase D (PLD) activity.

Bi-Luminal Mitral Valve: Incidence, Clinical Features, Associated Anomaly and Echocardiographic Evaluation.

Objective: The aim of the study was to know the incidence, clinical features, associated anomaly and echocardiographic evaluation of bi-luminal mitral valve (also known as double orifice mitral valve or DOMV) in patients with suspected mitral valve disease, continous murmur or left-to-right shunt.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with DOMV were diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in a retrospective review of 52,256 echocardiographic studies in 45,898 patients performed between 2000 and 2015.

Results: The mean age was 20.

ROS mediated pro-apoptotic effects of on breast cancer cells.

The inevitable development of chemoresistance and unmanageable side effects are the major therapeutic challenges in management of breast cancer imposing an urgent need for identification of novel therapeutic agents. In the present investigation, we report anti-proliferative activity of chloroform fraction of (TcCF) an Ayurvedic medicinal plant, on breast cancer cells. We found that TcCF inhibited growth of breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7.

Ketoconazole encapsulated in chitosan-gellan gum nanocomplexes exhibits prolonged antifungal activity.

The objective of the present study was to prepare ketoconazole loaded chitosan-gellan gum (CSGG) nanoparticles and to evaluate them for antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger. Ketoconazole loaded CSGG nanoparticles were prepared by electrostatic complexation technique using chitosan (CS) as cationic polymer and gellan gum (GG) as anionic polymer with ketoconazole as drug. It was observed that the effect of gellan gum on particle size was more pronounced in comparison to chitosan and increase in its concentration resulted in a significant increase in particle size but decrease in zeta potential.

Characterization of rice starch-ι-carrageenan biodegradable edible film. Effect of stearic acid on the film properties.

The main aim of this study was to develop rice starch (RS), ι-carrageenan (ι-car) based film. Different formulations of RS (1-4%, w/w), ι-car (0.5-2%, w/w) was blended with stearic acid (SA; 0.

National experience with long-term use of the wearable cardioverter defibrillator in patients with cardiomyopathy.

Purpose: The wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is generally used for short periods of sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk; circumstances may occasionally result in prolonged use (over 1 year). The aim of this study was to determine the benefits and risks of prolonged use in patients with systolic heart failure (HF).

Methods: ZOLL's post-market US database included adult patients (≥18 years) with ischemic and/or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM, NICM) and at least 1 year of use.

Short-term outcome of acute inferior wall myocardial infarction with emphasis on conduction blocks: a prospective observational study in Indian population.

Objective: The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the complications, particularly conduction blocks, subsequent morbidity and mortality, and effect of thrombolytic therapy in Indian patients with inferior wall myocardial infarction (IWMI).

Methods: This was a prospective, observational, single-center study conducted at LPS Institute of Cardiology, Kanpur, from December 2011 to May 2014. Patients who presented with typical chest pain and were subsequently diagnosed by standardized diagnostic criteria as having IWMI were enrolled.

Irrigating okra with secondary treated municipal wastewater: Observations regarding plant growth and soil characteristics.

The present study was carried out to probe the agronomic response of hybrid cultivar of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L. var. JK 7315) grown in secondary treated municipal wastewater irrigated soil with field investigations.

Prognostic Importance of Exercise Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Asymptomatic Chronic Organic Severe Mitral Regurgitation: An Observational Study.

Background: The optimal timing of surgery in patients with chronic organic severe mitral regurgitation (MR) continues to be debated, especially for those who are asymptomatic. The aim of the study was to determine independent and additive prognostic value of exercise brain natriuretic peptide (eBNP) in patients with severe asymptomatic MR and normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: Two hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with severe MR defined by effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) area ≥ 40 mm and/or residual volume ≥ 60 mL, LVEF > 60%, and normal LV end-systolic diameter < 40 mm underwent symptom limited exercise treadmill test (TMT).