Recent advancements in the quest of benzazoles as anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis agents.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, claiming numerous lives each year, despite recent advancements in drug discovery and treatment strategies. Current TB treatment typically involves long-duration chemotherapy regimens that are often accompanied by adverse effects. The introduction of new anti-TB drugs, such as Bedaquiline, Delamanid, and Pretomanid, offers hope for more effective treatment, although challenges persist keeping the quest to find new anti-TB chemotypes an incessant exercise of medicinal chemists.

Identification of ABHD6 as a lysophosphatidylserine lipase in the mammalian liver and kidneys.

Lysophosphatidylserine (lyso-PS) is a potent hormone-like signaling lysophospholipid, which regulates many facets of mammalian biology and dysregulation in its metabolism is associated with several human neurological and autoimmune diseases. Despite the physiological importance and causal relation with human pathophysiology, little is known about the metabolism of lyso-PS in tissues other than the nervous and immune systems. To address this problem, here, we attempted to identify one (or more) lipase(s) capable of degrading lyso-PS in different mammalian tissues.

Access to Bis-Silylene-Stabilized Group 13 Cations.

Herein, we report the isolation of pyridine moiety-functionalized SiNSi pincer-based bis-silylene ligand () and its reactivity toward various halide precursors (X = Br and I) of group 13 elements (M = Al, Ga, and In). This gave us straightforward access to the SiNSi pincer-coordinated group 13 cations (-). These complexes are duly characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H, C, and Si), and high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques.

AAV-based gene delivery of antimicrobial peptides to combat drug-resistant pathogens.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as potential alternatives to conventional antibiotics due to their novelty and multiple mechanisms of action. Because they are peptides, AMPs are amenable to bioengineering and suitable for cloning and expression at large production scales. However, the efficient delivery of AMPs is an unaddressed issue, particularly due to their large size, possible toxicities, and the development of adverse immune responses.

Modulating the Optical Properties of Cationic Surfactant Cetylpyridinium Chloride and Hydrazine Mediated Copper Nanoclusters.

This study investigates the modulations in the optical properties of cationic surfactant cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and hydrazine-mediated copper nanoclusters (CuNCs). By employing a bottom-up approach, we demonstrate the formation of blue-emitting CuNCs facilitated by CPC and hydrazine, where hydrazine acts both as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The optical properties of the CuNCs were systematically tuned by varying the chain length of the diamine, resulting in emissions ranging from blue to yellow.

Investigation of serotonin-receptor interactions, stability and signal transduction pathways via molecular dynamics simulations.

Serotonin-receptor binding plays a key role in several neurological and biological processes, including mood, sleep, hunger, cognition, learning, and memory. In this article, we performed molecular dynamics simulation to examine the key residues that play an essential role in the binding of serotonin to the G-protein-coupled 5-HT receptor (5HTR) via electrostatic interactions. Key residues for electrostatic interactions were identified via bond distance analysis and frustration analysis methods.

Assessing the impact of microplastics on gonadal health of the spadenose shark (Scoliodon laticaudus) on the west coast of India.

Pollutants such as microplastics (MPs) are detrimental to the health of humans, animals and reduce the quality of the environment. These particles can be ingested and accumulate in marine biota through the food chain leading to adverse effects on various physiological processes. Sharks, which typically occupy higher trophic levels in the marine food chain, may exhibit the highest accumulation of MPs.

CsAgBiBr and related Halide double perovskite porous single crystals.

The utilization of single crystals is exponentially growing in optoelectronic devices due to their exceptional benefits, including high phase purity and the absence of grain boundaries. However, achieving single crystals with a porous structure poses significant challenges. In this study, we present a method for fabricating porous single crystals (porous-SC) of CsAgBiBr and related halide double perovskites using an infrared-assisted spin coating technique.

Wealth-based inequalities in tuberculosis prevalence among households having children and young adults in India: insights from Indian demographic and health surveys (2015-2021).

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant health concern in India, especially among households with children and young adolescents aged 6-17 years. Despite ongoing research, there is a knowledge gap regarding specific risk factors for TB within this demographic. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the association between TB and various socio-demographic factors, including socioeconomic status, nutritional status, and environmental conditions.

Peptide toxins as tools in ion channel biology.

Animal venom contains ion channel-targeting peptide toxins that inflict paralysis or pain. The high specificity and potency of these toxins for their target ion channels provides enticing opportunities for their deployment as tools in channel biology. Mechanistic studies on toxin-mediated ion channel modulation have yielded landmark breakthroughs in our understanding of channel architectures and gating mechanisms.

Mitochondrial Sorting and Assembly Machinery: Chaperoning a Moonlighting Role?

The mitochondrial outer membrane (OMM) β-barrel proteins link the mitochondrion with the cytosol, endoplasmic reticulum, and other cellular membranes, establishing cellular homeostasis. Their active insertion and assembly in the outer mitochondrial membrane is achieved in an energy-independent yet highly effective manner by the Sorting and Assembly Machinery (SAM) of the OMM. The core SAM constituent is the 16-stranded transmembrane β-barrel Sam50.

Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) in Acute Viral Myocarditis in Children: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Context: Acute myocarditis is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition in infants and children. While immunosuppressive agents have shown limited effectiveness, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) holds promise as a treatment option.

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in treating acute viral myocarditis in children.

Evaluating a midwifery leadership programme: a process evaluation study.

Background: Despite global support for midwifery leadership investment, there is a notable lack of scientific evaluations of leadership programmes worldwide for midwives. The Government of India's Midwifery Initiative launched the Midwifery Leadership Programme to enhance the leadership capacity of state-level midwifery leaders.

Aim: To evaluate the Midwifery Leadership Programme in India using implementation science as a framework.

Degradable Theranostic Polyurethane for Macrophage-Targeted Antileishmanial Drug Delivery.

The present investigation aims to develop a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and esterase-responsive biodegradable mannosylated polyurethane to effectively deliver the encapsulated antileishmanial drug amphotericin B (AmB) selectively to infected macrophage cells. Owing to suitable amphiphilic balance, the as-synthesized glycosylated polyurethane () with aryl boronic ester-based diol () moiety as ROS-trigger, water-soluble mannose pendants, and fluorescent 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza--indacene (BODIPY) chain ends for bioimaging formed nanoaggregates in an aqueous medium as confirmed by H NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and critical aggregation concentration (CAC) measurements. Aided by two endogenous stimuli present in phagolysosome, ROS and esterase, AmB-encapsulated polymeric nanoaggregates as drug delivery vehicles achieved an efficient reduction of both and intracellular amastigote burden compared to the free AmB.

Splitting of the Girvin-MacDonald-Platzman Density Wave and the Nature of Chiral Gravitons in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect.

A fundamental manifestation of the nontrivial correlations of an incompressible fractional quantum Hall (FQH) state is that an electron added to it disintegrates into more elementary particles, namely fractionally-charged composite fermions (CFs). We show here that the Girvin-MacDonald-Platzman (GMP) density-wave excitation of the ν=n/(2pn±1) FQH states also splits into more elementary single CF excitons. In particular, the GMP graviton, which refers to the recently observed spin-2 neutral excitation in the vanishing wave vector limit [Liang et al.

Effects of quenched disorder on the kinetics and pathways of phase transition in a soft colloidal system.

Although impurities are unavoidable in real-world and experimental systems, most numerical studies on nucleation focus on pure (impurity-free) systems. As a result, the role of impurities in phase transitions remains poorly understood, especially for systems with complex free energy landscapes featuring one or more intermediate metastable phases. In this study, we employed Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effects of static impurities (quenched disorder) of varying length scales and surface morphologies on the crystal nucleation mechanism and kinetics in the Gaussian core model system-a representative model for soft colloidal systems.

"Joint protection first": understanding physiotherapists' implementation of evidence-based interventions in osteoarthritis knee management-a qualitative study.

Purpose: To explore the factors that influence physiotherapists' adherence to evidence-recommended interventions in the management of knee osteoarthritis.

Materials And Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 physiotherapists across India. Participants were selected using purposive sampling to ensure diversity in experience and setting.

Real-World Evidence on the Effectiveness of Pembrolizumab in Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic/Unresectable Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of the review was to systematically review real-world data on the effectiveness and safety of pembrolizumab in recurrent/metastatic/unresectable head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) patients. Two independent reviewers retrieved the studies separately and simultaneously. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central were searched for prospective and retrospective studies on recurrent/metastatic/unresectable HNSCC patients treated with either pembrolizumab monotherapy or pembrolizumab combination therapy published till November 2024.

TRIM32 regulates insulin sensitivity by controlling insulin receptor degradation in the liver.

Impaired insulin receptor signaling is strongly linked to obesity-related metabolic conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, the exact mechanisms behind impaired insulin receptor (INSR) signaling in obesity induced by a high-fat diet remain elusive. In this study, we identify an E3 ubiquitin ligase, tripartite motif-containing protein 32 (TRIM32), as a key regulator of hepatic insulin signaling that targets the insulin receptor (INSR) for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in high-fat diet (HFD) mice.

A Helically-twisted Stereodynamic Probe for Chiroptical Sensing of Chiral Amines through Point-to-helical Chirality Transmission.

Chiral amines and amino alcohols form an important category of molecules employed in the designing of new drugs and catalyst. Herein, we present a helically-twisted stereodynamic dialdehyde probe 1 for the determining of absolute configuration, and enantiomeric excess of chiral amine and amino alcohols. Probe 1 is based on the pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide (PDC) core and undergoes rapid interconversion between the P- and M- conformers.

Silver-purine MOFs for high-performance multi-terminal neuromorphic memory.

Neuromorphic and fully analog in-memory computations are promising for handling vast amounts of data with minimal energy consumption. We have synthesized and studied a series of homo-bimetallic silver purine MOFs (1D and 2D) having direct metal-metal bonding. The N7-derivatized purine ligands are designed to form bi-metallic complexes under ambient conditions, extending to a 1D or 2D metal-organic framework.

Synthesis of the conjugation ready tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the O-polysaccharide from Halomonas fontilapidosi KR26.

Synthesis of the tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the O-polysaccharide from Halomonas fontilapidosi KR26 was accomplished through a convergent [2 + 2]-block strategy using rationally protected monosaccharide synthons derived from commercially available sugars. The target tetrasaccharide was synthesized in the form of its 2-azidoethyl glycoside to ensure further conjugation with specific aglycons without hampering the reducing end stereochemistry. Use of only acyl/aryl protecting groups was targeted to keep the terminal azido-group intact for the utilization of "Click chemistry" for further conjugations.

NSD3 protein methylation and stabilization transforms human ES cells into variant state.

Cultured human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can develop genetic anomalies that increase their susceptibility to transformation. In this study, we characterized a variant hESC (vhESC) line and investigated the molecular mechanisms leading to the drift towards a transformed state. Our findings revealed that vhESCs up-regulate EMT-specific markers, accelerate wound healing, exhibit compromised lineage differentiation, and retain pluripotency gene expression in teratomas.