Targeting the viral-entry facilitators of SARS-CoV-2 as a therapeutic strategy in COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, which has emerged as a global pandemic causing serious concerns. Lack of specific and effective therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 is a major concern and the development of vaccines is another important aspect in managing the infection effectively. The first step in the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis is the viral entry and it is mediated by its densely glycosylated spike protein (S-protein).

A novel coarse and fine control algorithm to improve Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) efficiency in photovoltaic system.

The Perturb and Observe (P&O) Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm in solar Photovoltaics (PV) is popular owing to its simplicity. However, its drawbacks, (i) operating point divergence and (ii) tradeoff between fast convergence and balanced state oscillations decelerate the usage. Most of the developments in the literature to overcome these drawbacks increase complexity.

Deteriorating insulin resistance due to WL15 peptide from cysteine and glycine-rich protein 2 in high glucose-induced rat skeletal muscle L6 cells.

This study investigates the antioxidant and antidiabetic activity of the WL15 peptide derived from Channa striatus on regulating the antioxidant property in the rat skeletal muscle cell line (L6) and enhancing glucose uptake via glucose metabolism. Increased oxidative stress plays a major role in the development of diabetes and its complications. Strategies are needed to mitigate the oxidative stress that can reduce these pathogenic processes.

Whole-exome sequencing identifies two novel ALMS1 mutations in Indian patients with Leber congenital amaurosis.

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a severe autosomal recessive retinal degenerative disease. The current study describes exome sequencing results for two unrelated Indian LCA patients carrying novel nonsense p.(Glu636*) and frameshift p.

COVID_SCREENET: COVID-19 Screening in Chest Radiography Images Using Deep Transfer Stacking.

Infectious diseases are highly contagious due to rapid transmission and very challenging to diagnose in the early stage. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning now become a strategic weapon in assisting infectious disease prevention, rapid-response in diagnosis, surveillance, and management. In this paper, a bifold COVID_SCREENET architecture is introduced for providing COVID-19 screening solutions using Chest Radiography (CR) images.

Exploring the anti-caries properties of baicalin against : an study.

Plant-derived molecules are excellent alternatives to antibiotics as anti-infective agents owing to their minimal cytotoxicity. Herein, the anti-infective property of the hydroxyflavone baicalin, was investigated against biofilms of the key dental caries pathogen . Baicalin inhibited sucrose-dependent biofilm formation at a concentration of 500 µg ml without affecting bacterial growth.

Baicalein Inhibits Biofilms and Dental Caries-Related Virulence Phenotypes.

Dental caries, the most common oral disease, is a major public healthcare burden and affects more than three billion people worldwide. The contemporary understanding of the need for a healthy microbiome and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has resulted in an urgent need to identify compounds that curb the virulence of pathobionts without microbial killing. Through this study, we have demonstrated for the first time that 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone (Baicalein) significantly downregulates crucial caries-related virulence phenotypes in .

Dual Drug Loaded Bilayer Hydrogel Coated with Citric Acid for the Treatment of Dry Mouth Syndrome.

ex vivo

RAGE silencing deters CML-AGE induced inflammation and TLR4 expression in endothelial cells.

The N-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), the predominant advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in diabetes and its RAGE induced cytokine release has been well explored. But the CML mediated multiple AGEs receptor expression is still not understood and the role played by RAGE silencing in modulating CML generated pro-inflammatory cytokines in micro and macrovascular endothelial cells is yet to be studied. HUVEC and HREC cells were exposed with CML for 24 h.

A curcumin-sophorolipid nanocomplex inhibits Candida albicans filamentation and biofilm development.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that is highly resistant to contemporary antifungals, due to their biofilm lifestyle. The ability of C. albicans to invade human tissues is due to its filamentation.

The seesaw of diet restriction and lifespan: lessons from Drosophila studies.

Diet restriction (DR) studies undergo the implementation of reduced single or multiple component/s of the fly food without causing malnutrition. The question of how and why DR modifies the fate of lifespan in fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster has prompted us to emphasize by attending the control food composition first. Certain concentrations of DR food do not always confer an extended lifespan, rather it enables the flies to achieve their normal lifespan, which was probably reduced by the control food per se (having toxic effect caused due to the excess levels of dietary components).

Recent advancements in cardiovascular bioprinting and bioprinted cardiac constructs.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of mortality globally that demand the application of tissue engineering strategies to repair damaged tissues. Conventional tissue engineering approaches such as particulate leaching, hydrogels, gas foaming, solvent casting and electrospinning based strategies aim to develop extracellular matrix analogues to promote the regeneration of functional cardiac tissues. However, poor cell seeding efficiency with the non-uniform distribution of cells across thicker scaffolds (>5 mm) limits the clinical potential.

Natural dye from Caesalpinia sappan L. heartwood for eco-friendly coloring of recycled paper based packing material and its in silico toxicity analysis.

The uses of natural dyes are getting popularized due to the increased awareness regarding the toxicity of many chemical colorants. The chemical colorants are being replaced by the natural colorants for the various industrial applications. The plant-based natural colorants are considered eco-friendly and toxic free.

: a novel biosorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous dye solution: kinetic, equilibrium and statistical approach.

The biosorption potential of cost-effective and agricultural residue, wood (ICW) was examined by the removal of cationic dye, methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The surface morphology, structural and thermal properties of untreated ICW were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA), respectively. The effects of different parameters namely concentration of biosorbent, initial pH, initial MB composition and temperature on biosorption capacity and biosorption (%) were studied.

Synthesis, molecular docking and ADME studies of thiazole-thiazolidinedione hybrids as antimicrobial agents.

New thiazole-thiazolidinedione hybrids () were efficiently synthesized and evaluated for their in-vitro antimicrobial activity against four fungal and bacterial strains. The chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated by FTIR, H NMR, and C NMR spectral data. Most of the synthesized compounds were sensitive against gram positive, gram negative bacterial and fungal strains.

Production of bacterial cellulose using Gluconacetobacter kombuchae immobilized on Luffa aegyptiaca support.

The present work report for the first time on the production of bacterial cellulose (BC) using natural loofa sponge (Luffa aegyptiaca) as a scaffold for the immobilization of Gluconacetobacter kombuchae. Bacterial cellulose (BC) are recently gained more attention in several fields including biological and biomedical applications due to their outstanding physico-chemical characteristics including high thermal stability, easy biodegradability, good water holding capacity, high tensile strength, and high degree of polymerization. The increase in requirement of alternative method for the enhancement of BC production under economical aspect develops a positive impact in large scale industries.

A low CO2-responsive mutant of Setaria viridis reveals that reduced carbonic anhydrase limits C4 photosynthesis.

In C4 species, β-carbonic anhydrase (CA), localized to the cytosol of the mesophyll cells, accelerates the interconversion of CO2 to HCO3-, the substrate used by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in the first step of C4 photosynthesis. Here we describe the identification and characterization of low CO2-responsive mutant 1 (lcr1) isolated from an N-nitroso-N-methylurea- (NMU) treated Setaria viridis mutant population. Forward genetic investigation revealed that the mutated gene Sevir.

pH-sensitive chitosan nanoparticles loaded with dolutegravir as milk and food admixture for paediatric anti-HIV therapy.

The present study aims to develop Chitosan-based polymeric nanoparticles of anti-HIV drug Dolutegravir, to aid appropriate dose adjustment and ease of oral administration as milk and food admixture for children. The isolated Chitosan from the crab shell species Portunus Sanguinolentus has been characterized for their physicochemical properties. Nanoparticles were developed with varying ratio of drug: Chitosan and assessed for particle size (140-548 nm), zeta potential (+26.

Pharmacological importance of TG12 from tachykinin and its toxicological behavior against multidrug-resistant bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia.

Development of antimicrobial drugs against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a great focus in recent years. TG12, a short peptide molecule used in this study was screened from tachykinin (Tac) protein of an established teleost Channa striatus (Cs) transcriptome. Tachykinin cDNA has 345 coding sequence, that denotes a protein contained 115 amino acids; in which a short peptide (TG12) was identified at 83-94.

Tryptophan-tagged peptide from serine threonine-protein kinase of Channa striatus improves antioxidant defence in L6 myotubes and attenuates caspase 3-dependent apoptotic response in zebrafish larvae.

This study reports the antioxidant property and molecular mechanism of a tryptophan-tagged peptide derived from a teleost fish Channa striatus of serine threonine-protein kinase (STPK). The peptide was tagged with tryptophan to enhance the antioxidant property of STPK and named as IW13. The antioxidant activity of IW13 peptide was investigated using in vitro methods such as DPPH, ABTS, superoxide anion radical scavenging and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay.

Structural Behavior of Fibrous-Ferrocement Panel Subjected to Flexural and Impact Loads.

Ferrocement panels, while offering various benefits, do not cover instances of low and moderated velocity impact. To address this problem and to enhance the impact strength against low-velocity impact, a fibrous ferrocement panel is proposed and investigated. This study aims to assess the flexural and low-velocity impact response of simply supported ferrocement panels reinforced with expanded wire mesh (EWM) and steel fibers.

Production of Greener High-Strength Concrete Using Russian Quartz Sandstone Mine Waste Aggregates.

Quartz sandstone (QS) is a mine waste; therefore, its use in construction allows for both reducing the cost of the concrete and contributing to the utilization of waste. The scientific originality of this study is the identification of models of the effect of QS aggregate on the physicomechanical, durability characteristics, and eco-safety of greener high-strength concrete. The study used an energy-efficient method of non-thermal effects of electromagnetic pulses on the destruction mechanisms of quartz-containing raw materials.

Molecular mechanism of down-regulating adipogenic transcription factors in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells by bioactive anti-adipogenic compounds.

Obesity is growing at an alarming rate, which is characterized by increased adipose tissue. It increases the probability of many health complications, such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiac disease, and cancer. In modern society, with a growing population of obese patients, several individuals have increased insulin resistance.

Non enzymatic covalent modification by glycolysis end product converts hemoglobin into its oxidative stress potency state.

The effect of glycation by Pyruvic acid (PA) on the early and advanced conformational changes in Hemoglobin (Hb) was studied. Multi Spectroscopic measurement revealed that Hb undergoes structural conformational changes and unbound heme upon incubation with PA. These covalent modifications were followed by the reduction of heme centre and these reduction processes initiates its peroxidase-like activity.

Sensors for diagnosis of prostate cancer: Looking beyond the prostate specific antigen.

Prostate cancer represents one of the most common forms of cancer affecting men across the globe. Due to late diagnosis of this disease, the mortality of this condition is very high. Conventional diagnostic methods like the direct rectal examination are uncomfortable and, in most cases, delayed, and further confirmation is required with biopsies and Gleason score.