University of Madras

BACKGROUND: Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae with resistance to carbapenem conferred by New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) are potentially a major global health problem. We investigated the prevalence of NDM-1, in multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in India, Pakistan, and the UK. METHODS: Enterobacteriaceae isolates were studied from two major centres in India--Chennai (south India), Haryana (north India)--and those referred to the UK's national reference laboratory. Antibiotic susceptibilities were assessed, and the presence of the carbapenem resistance gene bla(NDM-1) was established by PCR. Isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of XbaI-restricted genomic DNA. Plasmids were analysed by S1 nuclease digestion and PCR typing. Case data for UK patients were reviewed for evidence of travel and recent admission to hospitals in India or Pakistan. FINDINGS: We identified 44 isolates with NDM-1 in Chennai, 26 in Haryana, 37 in the UK, and 73 in other sites in India and Pakistan. NDM-1 was mostly found among Escherichia coli (36) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (111), which were highly resistant to all antibiotics except to tigecycline and colistin. K pneumoniae isolates from Haryana were clonal but NDM-1 producers from the UK and Chennai were clonally diverse. Most isolates carried the NDM-1 gene on plasmids: those from UK and Chennai were readily transferable whereas those from Haryana were not conjugative. Many of the UK NDM-1 positive patients had travelled to India or Pakistan within the past year, or had links with these countries. INTERPRETATION: The potential of NDM-1 to be a worldwide public health problem is great, and co-ordinated international surveillance is needed.

autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.

Delineation of the left ventricular cavity, myocardium, and right ventricle from cardiac magnetic resonance images (multi-slice 2-D cine MRI) is a common clinical task to establish diagnosis. The automation of the corresponding tasks has thus been the subject of intense research over the past decades. In this paper, we introduce the "Automatic Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge" dataset (ACDC), the largest publicly available and fully annotated dataset for the purpose of cardiac MRI (CMR) assessment. The dataset contains data from 150 multi-equipments CMRI recordings with reference measurements and classification from two medical experts. The overarching objective of this paper is to measure how far state-of-the-art deep learning methods can go at assessing CMRI, i.e., segmenting the myocardium and the two ventricles as well as classifying pathologies. In the wake of the 2017 MICCAI-ACDC challenge, we report results from deep learning methods provided by nine research groups for the segmentation task and four groups for the classification task. Results show that the best methods faithfully reproduce the expert analysis, leading to a mean value of 0.97 correlation score for the automatic extraction of clinical indices and an accuracy of 0.96 for automatic diagnosis. These results clearly open the door to highly accurate and fully automatic analysis of cardiac CMRI. We also identify scenarios for which deep learning methods are still failing. Both the dataset and detailed results are publicly available online, while the platform will remain open for new submissions.

Abstract The general conformations of a system of three linked peptide units are studied, and it is found that there are three types of conformations which contain NH…O hydrogen bonding between the first and the third units. One of them is part of a 3 10 ‐helix, while the other two arc nonhelical. The two nonhelical conformations are very similar, and in both the cases the peptide chain turns around, reversing the direction of progress. Such a conformation can therefore occur in the region where a polypeptide chain folds back on itself, as in the cross‐β structure. The method of representing these interesting tripeptide conformations in a (ϕ,ψ) map is described. Examples of such hydrogen‐bonded, nonhelical conformations which occur in peptides and proteins are discussed—e.g., in cyclohexaglyeyl, an open tetrapeptide Gly‐ L ‐Pro‐ L ‐Leu‐Gly, and in parts of the lysozyme chain.

Alterations of endothelial cells and the vasculature play a central role in the pathogenesis of a broad spectrum of the most dreadful of human diseases, as endothelial cells have the key function of participating in the maintenance of patent and functional capillaries. The endothelium is directly involved in peripheral vascular disease, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, chronic kidney failure, tumor growth, metastasis, venous thrombosis, and severe viral infectious diseases. Dysfunction of the vascular endothelium is thus a hallmark of human diseases. In this review the main endothelial abnormalities found in various human diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, and viral infections are addressed.

Placental tissue draws great interest as a source of cells for regenerative medicine because of the phenotypic plasticity of many of the cell types isolated from this tissue. Furthermore, placenta, which is involved in maintaining fetal tolerance, contains cells that display immunomodulatory properties. These two features could prove useful for future cell therapy-based clinical applications. Placental tissue is readily available and easily procured without invasive procedures, and its use does not elicit ethical debate. Numerous reports describing stem cells from different parts of the placenta, using nearly as numerous isolation and characterization procedures, have been published. Considering the complexity of the placenta, an urgent need exists to define, as clearly as possible, the region of origin and methods of isolation of cells derived from this tissue. On March 23-24, 2007, the first international Workshop on Placenta Derived Stem Cells was held in Brescia, Italy. Most of the research published in this area focuses on mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from various parts of the placenta or epithelial cells isolated from amniotic membrane. The aim of this review is to summarize and provide the state of the art of research in this field, addressing aspects such as cell isolation protocols and characteristics of these cells, as well as providing preliminary indications of the possibilities for use of these cells in future clinical applications.

Ester bond hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids by Phospholipase A(2) and consequent release of fatty acids are the initiating steps of inflammation. It is proposed in this study that the inhibition of phospholipase A(2) is one of the ways to control inflammation. Investigations are carried out to identify the mode of inhibition of phospholipase A(2) by the n-hexadecanoic acid. It may help in designing of specific inhibitors of phospholipase A(2) as anti-inflammatory agents. The enzyme kinetics study proved that n-hexadecanoic acid inhibits phospholipase A(2) in a competitive manner. It was identified from the crystal structure at 2.5 Å resolution that the position of n-hexadecanoic acid is in the active site of the phospholipase A(2). The binding constant and binding energy have also been calculated using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry. Also, the binding energy of n-hexadecanoic acid to phospholipase A(2) was calculated by in silico method and compared with known inhibitors. It may be concluded from the structural and kinetics studies that the fatty acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, is an inhibitor of phospholipase A(2), hence, an anti-inflammatory compound. The inferences from the present study validate the rigorous use of medicated oils rich in n-hexadecanoic acid for the treatment of rheumatic symptoms in the traditional medical system of India, Ayurveda.

In this study, pure ZnO, CeO2 and ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were synthesized using a thermal decomposition method and subsequently characterized using different standard techniques. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirmed the oxidation states and presence of Zn(2+), Ce(4+), Ce(3+) and different bonded oxygen species in the nanocomposites. The prepared pure ZnO and CeO2 as well as the ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites with various proportions of ZnO and CeO2 were tested for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue and phenol under visible-light irradiation. The optimized and highly efficient ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance for the degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and phenol as well as industrial textile effluent compared to ZnO, CeO2 and the other investigated nanocomposites. Moreover, the recycling results demonstrate that the ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite exhibited good stability and long-term durability. Furthermore, the prepared ZnO/CeO2 nanocomposites were used for the electrochemical detection of uric acid and ascorbic acid. The ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite also demonstrated the best detection, sensitivity and performance among the investigated materials in this application. These findings suggest that the synthesized ZnO/CeO2 (90:10) nanocomposite could be effectively used in various applications.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of compounds consisting of two or more fused aromatic rings. Most of them are formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials such as wood and fossil fuels, petroleum products, and coal. The composition of PAH mixtures varies with the source and is also affected by selective weathering effects in the environment. PAHs are ubiquitous pollutants frequently found in a variety of environments such as fresh water and marine sediments, the atmosphere, and ice. Due to their widespread distribution, the environmental pollution due to PAHs has aroused global concern. Many PAHs and their epoxides are highly toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic to microorganisms as well as to higher forms of life including humans. The main aim of this review is to provide contemporary information on PAH sources, route of exposure, worldwide emission rate, and adverse effects on humans, especially with reference to cancer.

This review evaluates the literature on nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment and assesses their efficacy. Nanoparticles have shown potential for improving anticancer agent delivery, reducing systemic toxicity, and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Extensive studies have shown promising results in preclinical and clinical trials. However, challenges such as limited drug loading capacity, stability issues, and potential side effects need to be addressed to enhance clinical translation. Researchers are exploring strategies to improve drug loading capacity, such as modifying nanoparticle surfaces or developing novel drug encapsulation techniques. By increasing drug loading, the therapeutic efficacy of these systems can be significantly enhanced. Stability issues also pose a hurdle in clinical translation. To overcome stability issues, researchers are investigating methods to enhance the stability of nanoparticles, such as using protective coatings or optimising the formulation. Additionally, efforts are being made to minimise potential side effects by carefully selecting biocompatible materials for nanoparticle synthesis and conducting rigorous toxicity studies before moving forward with clinical trials.

The First Part expounds the theory of classification. After the first seven pages, the first chap­ter, which seeks to build up the necessary scaffolding of terminology, may prove to be stiff reading for beginners. But they may skip over that portion in the first reading and refer to it whenever need is felt for definition of technical terms.<br> The second and third chapters develop the canons of classification that belong to the general theory It is believed that these two chapters carry the analysis further than existing books on the subject. The treatment of Terminology and Notation may be found to be new.<br> The fourth chapter which deals with the special theory of Knowledge Classification, shows the advantages, if not the necessity, of a synthetic classi­fication, when the Universe to be classified is infinite.<br> The fifth chapter analyses the peculiar fea­tures of the special theory of Book Classification and leads to the recognition and isolation of four distinct stages in library classification.<br> The Second Part is mainly devoted to a com­parative study of five current schemes of classifi­cation. These comparisons over limited ranges are of course only intended as models of a process that could be continued almost endlessly.

Abstract NIR‐FT Raman and FT‐IR spectra of the crystallized 2,6‐bis ( p ‐ N , N ‐dimethyl benzylidene)cyclohexanone (C 24 H 28 N 2 O) have been recorded in the region 3200–500 and 4000–400 cm −1 , respectively. The spectral interpretation has been done following full structure optimization and vibrational wavenumber calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) using the standard B3LYP/6‐31G* basis set. The predicted vibrational spectra are in excellent agreement with the experiment, permitting an unambiguous assignment for the unusual downshifting of νCO caused by expanded conjugation effects in the dienone system. The optimized geometry clearly demonstrates the ‘half‐chair’ conformation of the central nonheterocyclic ring. The ring CH stretching vibrational modes involving aromatic hydrogen atoms participating in steric interaction have been observed with low intensities. There are valid structural and spectral bases for the enhancement of its bioactivity due to full charge transfer reaction by the substitution of the electron‐donating 4‐dimethylamino group into the aryl rings. The existence of intramolecular, CH … O, improper, blue‐shifted hydrogen bond was investigated by means of the natural bonding orbitals (NBO) analysis. There are also slight dissimilarities in the bond lengths and endocyclic bond angles of both phenyl rings due to the effect of the heavy substitution. The characteristic ring modes have also been assigned in detail. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

The analytical formulation of the theories of nutation and wobble reveals the combinations of basic Earth parameters that govern the nutation‐wobble response of the Earth to gravitational (tidal) forcing by heavenly bodies and makes it possible to estimate several of them through a least squares fit of the theoretical expressions to the high‐precision data now available. This paper presents the essentials of the theoretical framework, the procedure that we used for least squares estimation of basic Earth parameters through a fit of theory to nutation‐precession data derived from an up‐to‐date very long baseline interferometry data set, the results of the estimation and their geophysical interpretation, and the nutation series constructed using the estimated values of the parameters. The theoretical formulation used here differs from earlier ones in the incorporation of anelasticity and ocean tide effects into the basic structure of the dynamical equations of the theory and in the inclusion of electromagnetic couplings of the mantle and the solid inner core to the fluid outer core, though this generalization comes at the cost of making some of the system parameters complex and frequency dependent; it is also more complete, as it takes account of nonlinear terms in these equations, including effects of the time‐dependent deformations produced by zonal and sectorial tides, which had been traditionally neglected in nonrigid Earth theories. Among the geophysical results obtained from our fit are estimates for the dynamic ellipticity e of the Earth ( e = 0.0032845479 with an uncertainty of 12 in the last digit), for the dynamical ellipticity e f of the fluid core (3.8% higher than its hydrostatic equilibrium value, rather than ∼5% as hitherto), and for the two complex electromagnetic coupling constants. Our best estimates for the RMS radial magnetic fields at the core mantle boundary and at the inner core boundary, based on the estimates for these coupling constants, are ~6.9 and 72 gauss, respectively, when the magnetic field configurations are restricted to certain simple classes. The field strength needed at the inner core boundary could be lower if the density of the core fluid at this boundary or the ellipticity of the solid inner core were lower than that for the Preliminary Reference Earth Model. Our estimate for the resonance frequency of the prograde free core nutation mode, with an uncertainty of ∼10%, constitutes the first firm detection of the resonance associated with this mode; the period found is ∼1025 days, double that with electromagnetic couplings ignored. (Throughout this work, “days,” referring to periods, stands for “mean solar days.”) A new nutation series (MHB2000) is constructed by direct solution of the linearized dynamical equations (with our best fit values adopted for all the estimated Earth parameters) for each forcing frequency, and adding on the contributions from the nonlinear terms and other effects not included in the linearized equations. This series gives a considerably better fit to the nutation data than any of the earlier series based on geophysical theory. In particular, the residuals in the out of phase amplitudes of the retrograde 18.6 year and annual nutations, which had long remained at ∼0.5 milliseconds of arc (mas), are now reduced to the level of the uncertainties in the observational estimates, thanks mainly to the role played by the electromagnetic couplings. The largest remaining discrepancy is that in the out of phase prograde 18.6 year nutation, of ∼72 micorseconds of arc (μas). The frequency dependence of the nutation amplitudes cannot be exactly represented through a resonance formula, nor may the resonance frequencies themselves be interpreted as the eigenfrequencies of free modes because of the presence of complex and frequency‐dependent system parameters. Nevertheless, we have constructed a new resonance formula which reproduces our nutation series accurately for almost all nutation frequencies; for the few remaining frequencies, a listing is given of the corrections to be applied in order to reproduce the exact results of the direct solution.

Ternary ZnO/Ag/Mn₂O₃ nanocomposite as photocatalyst, sensing and antimicrobial material.

Nanocrystalline ${\mathrm{NiFe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ spinel has been synthesized with various grain sizes by high-energy ball milling. From the high-field magnetization studies and extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure, and M\"ossbauer measurements in an external magnetic field of 5 T applied parallel to the direction of gamma rays, we could observe that ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ ions occupy tetrahedral sites on grain-size reduction due to milling. The ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ spins have a canted structure and the canting angle increases with grain-size reduction. It is possible that the core ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ spins are also canted because of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy introduced by the occupancy of the ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$ ions in the tetrahedral sites.

New sets of CMS underlying-event parameters ("tunes") are presented for the pythia8 event generator. These tunes use the NNPDF3.1 parton distribution functions (PDFs) at leading (LO), next-to-leading (NLO), or next-to-next-to-leading (NNLO) orders in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, and the strong coupling evolution at LO or NLO. Measurements of charged-particle multiplicity and transverse momentum densities at various hadron collision energies are fit simultaneously to determine the parameters of the tunes. Comparisons of the predictions of the new tunes are provided for observables sensitive to the event shapes at LEP, global underlying event, soft multiparton interactions, and double-parton scattering contributions. In addition, comparisons are made for observables measured in various specific processes, such as multijet, Drell-Yan, and top quark-antiquark pair production including jet substructure observables. The simulation of the underlying event provided by the new tunes is interfaced to a higher-order matrix-element calculation. For the first time, predictions from pythia8 obtained with tunes based on NLO or NNLO PDFs are shown to reliably describe minimum-bias and underlying-event data with a similar level of agreement to predictions from tunes using LO PDF sets.

It is noted that the study of a quantum algebra sup,q(2), with two independent deformation parameters (p, q), leads to a '(p, q)-oscillator' realization for it. The analysis is extended to the (p, q)-analogues of su(1, 1), osp(2/1) and the centreless Virasoro algebra. The standard single-parameter (q) deformations are obtained in the limit p=q.

Microalgae are the untapped resource with more than 25,000 species of which only 15 are in use. In recent years, microalgal culture technology is a business oriented line owing to their different practical applications. Innovative processes and products have been introduced in microalgal biotechnology to produce vitamins, proteins, cosmetics, and health foods. For most of these applications, the market is still developing and the biotechnological use of microalgae will extend into new areas. With the development of sophisticated culture and screening techniques, microalgal biotechnology can meet the challenging demands of both the food and pharmaceutical industries. Genetic improvement should also play an important role in the future development of algal industries. Based on the preliminary research, several therapeutic benefits have been claimed for commercially produced microalgae including AIDS, cancer, and Cerebro vascular diseases. In near future, algal biomass will serve as a renewable energy source through commercial production of hydrocarbon by Botryococcus throughout the world.

studies such as molecular docking, target analysis, toxicity prediction and ADME prediction. Andrographolide was docked successfully in the binding site of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Computational approaches also predicts this molecule to have good solubility, pharmacodynamics property and target accuracy. This molecule also obeys Lipinski's rule, which makes it a promising compound to pursue further biochemical and cell based assays to explore its potential for use against COVID-19.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

The multipotency property of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has attained worldwide consideration because of their immense potential for immunomodulation and their therapeutic function in tissue regeneration. MSCs can migrate to tissue injury areas to contribute to immune modulation, secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines and hide themselves from the immune system. Certainly, various investigations have revealed anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, reconstruction, and wound healing potentials of MSCs in many in vitro and in vivo models. Moreover, current progresses in the field of MSCs biology have facilitated the progress of particular guidelines and quality control approaches, which eventually lead to clinical application of MSCs. In this literature, we provided a brief overview of immunoregulatory characteristics and immunosuppressive activities of MSCs. In addition, we discussed the enhancement, utilization, and therapeutic responses of MSCs in neural, liver, kidney, bone, heart diseases, and wound healing.