Search Results (12)

The complete diagnostic evaluation of tuberculosis based on its drug-resistance profile is critical for appropriate treatment decisions. The TB diagnostic landscape in India has been transformed with the scaling-up of WHO-recommended diagnostics, but challenges remain with specimen transportation, completing diagnostic assessment, turnaround time (TAT), and maintaining laboratories. Private laboratories have demonstrated efficiencies for specimen collection, transportation, and the timely testing and issue of results. A one-stop TB diagnostic model was designed to assess the feasibility of providing end-to-end diagnostic services in the Hisar district of Haryana state, India. A NTEP-certified private laboratory was engaged to provide the services, complementing the existing public sector diagnostic services. A total of 10,164 specimens were collected between May 2022 and January 2023 and these were followed for the complete diagnostic assessment of Drug-Susceptible TB (DS-TB) and Drug-Resistant TB (DR-TB) and the time taken for issuing results. A total of 2152 (21%) patients were detected with TB, 1996 (93%) Rifampicin-Sensitive and 134 (6%) with Rifampicin-Resistant TB. Nearly 99% of the patients completed the evaluation of DS-TB and DR-TB within the recommended TAT. The One-Stop TB/DR-TB Diagnostic Solution model has demonstrated that diagnostic efficiencies could be enhanced through the strategic purchase of private laboratory services. Full article

An integrated forage-legume cropping system has immense potential to address the issue of land degradability. It provides a critical understanding of the capacity of diversified species mixes vs. monocultures to boost forage production and the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and phosphorus (P). In this study, we assessed the performance of Napier Bajra Hybrid (NBH) (Pennisetum glaucum × P. purpureum) + cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and tri-specific hybrid (TSH) (P. glaucum × P. purpureum × P. squamulatum) + cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) as compared to monocultures of NBH and TSH. The legume equivalent yield of NBH + cowpea and TSH + cluster bean intercropping systems were found −31% and −23% higher than monoculture systems. The SOC increased by −5% in the NBH + cowpea system as compared to NBH monoculture. The carbon mineralization rates under NBH + cowpea and TSH + cluster bean were −32% and −38% lower than the NBH and TSH monoculture cropping systems, respectively. It was found that the legume intensification with the forage significantly improved the soil’s P status. The research suggested that coalescing diverse crops (e.g., grass and legume) poses enormous potential for sustaining soil health and productivity in semi-arid regions of India. This study advances the research on characterizing the crucial factors of grass-legume-based cropping systems and helps in assessing the impact of these factors on long-term sustainability. Full article

Scouring around the bridge pier is a natural and complex phenomenon that results in bridge failure. Failure of bridges have potential devastation and public safety and economic loss, which lead to political consequences and environmental impacts. Therefore, it is essential to countermeasure the scour around the bridge pier. This paper studies the effects of four different airfoil-shaped collars (i.e., $b_{c1}$ = 1.5b, $b_{c2}$ = 2.0b, $b_{c3}$ = 2.5b and $b_{c4}$ = 3.0b, where $b_c$ and $b$ are the diameter of the airfoil-shaped collar and pier, respectively) as a scour countermeasure. All the experiments are conducted under clear water conditions with uniform sediment and a constant water depth (y) of 10 cm. Airfoil-shaped collar is placed at four elevations, i.e., bed level, y/4, y/2 and 3y/4 above the sediment bed level. It is observed that the maximum percentages of scour reduction of 86, 100 and 100% occurred due to protection provided by the collar $b_{c2}$, $b_{c3}$ and $b_{c4}$, respectively, at sediment bed level. So, collars $b_{c2}$, $b_{c3}$ and $b_{c4}$ are efficient at the sediment bed level. The profiles of scour hole show that the length of the transverse scour hole is greater than that of the longitudinal one. Numerical investigation of the morphological changes in sediment bed and scour depth contours is developed using the FLOW-3D for the pier with and without the airfoil-shaped collar. Full article

High night temperature (HNT) impairs crop productivity through the reproductive failure of gametes (pollen and pistil). Though female gametophyte (pistil) is an equal partner in the seed-set, the knowledge of the antioxidant system(s) and hormonal control of HNT tolerance or susceptibility of pistils is limited and lacking. The objectives of this study were to determine the antioxidant mechanism for homeostatic control of free radicals, and the involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA₃) in HNT stress protection in the wheat pistils of contrasting wheat genotypes. We hypothesized that HNT tolerance is attributed to the homeostatic control of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hormonal readjustment in pistils of the tolerant genotype. The ears of two contrasting wheat genotypes—HD 2329 (susceptible) and Raj 3765 (tolerant) were subjected to two HNTs (+5 °C and +8 °C) over ambient, in the absence and presence of dimethylthiourea (DMTU), a chemical trap of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Results showed that HNTs significantly increased ROS in pistils of susceptible genotype HD 2329 to a relatively greater extent compared to tolerant genotype Raj 3765. The response was similar in the presence or absence of DMTU, but the H₂O₂ values were lower in the presence of DMTU. The ROS levels were balanced by increased activity of peroxidase under HNT to a greater extent in the tolerant genotype. Cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC) activity was inversely related to H₂O₂ production within a critical range in Raj 3765, indicating its modulation by H₂O₂ levels as no change was observed at the transcriptional level. The hormonal status showed increased ABA and decreased GA₃ contents with increasing temperature. Our study elucidates the role of H₂O₂ and GA₃ in stress tolerance of pistils of tolerant genotype where GAPC acts as a ROS sensor due to H₂O₂-mediated decrease in its activity. Full article

The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for serious acute and chronic infections worldwide and is well-known for its biofilm formation ability. Recent findings of biofilms on dry hospital surfaces emphasise the failures in current cleaning practices and disinfection and the difficulty in removing these dry surface biofilms (DSBs). Many aspects of the formation of complex DSB biology on environmental surfaces in healthcare settings remains limited. In the present study, we aimed to determine how the protein component varied between DSBs and traditional hydrated biofilm. To do this, biofilms were grown in tryptic soy broth (TSB) on removable polycarbonate coupons in the CDC biofilm reactor over 12 days. Hydrated biofilm (50% TSB for 48 h, the media was then changed every 48 h with 20% TSB, at 37 °C with 130 rpm). DSB biofilm was produced in 5% TSB for 48 h at 35 °C followed by extended periods of dehydration (48, 66, 42 and 66 h at room temperature) interspersed with 6 h of 5% TSB at 35 °C. Then, we constructed a comprehensive reference map of 12-day DSB and 12-day hydrated biofilm associated proteins of S. aureus using a high-throughput tandem mass tag (TMT)-based mass spectrometry. Further pathway analysis of significantly differentially expressed identified proteins revealed that proteins significantly upregulated in 12-day DSB include PTS glucose transporter subunit IIBC (PtaA), UDP-N-acetylmuramate-L-alanine ligase (MurC) and UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine (MurB) compared to 12-day hydrated biofilm. These three proteins are all linked with peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway and are responsible for cell-wall formation and thicker EPS matrix deposition. Increased cell-wall formation may contribute to the persistence of DSB on dry surfaces. In contrast, proteins associated with energy metabolisms such as phosphoribosyl transferase (PyrR), glucosamine--fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase (GlmS), galactose-6-phosphate isomerase (LacA), and argininosuccinate synthase (ArgG) were significantly upregulated whereas ribosomal and ABC transporters were significantly downregulated in the 12-day hydrated biofilm compared to DSB. However, validation by qPCR analysis showed that the levels of gene expression identified were only partially in line with our TMT-MS quantitation analysis. For the first time, a TMT-based proteomics study with DSB has shed novel insights and provided a basis for the identification and study of significant pathways vital for biofilm biology in this reference microorganism. Full article

A refractive lens is one of the simplest, most cost-effective and easily available imaging elements. Given a spatially incoherent illumination, a refractive lens can faithfully map every object point to an image point in the sensor plane, when the object and image distances satisfy the imaging conditions. However, static imaging is limited to the depth of focus, beyond which the point-to-point mapping can only be obtained by changing either the location of the lens, object or the imaging sensor. In this study, the depth of focus of a refractive lens in static mode has been expanded using a recently developed computational reconstruction method, Lucy-Richardson-Rosen algorithm (LRRA). The imaging process consists of three steps. In the first step, point spread functions (PSFs) were recorded along different depths and stored in the computer as PSF library. In the next step, the object intensity distribution was recorded. The LRRA was then applied to deconvolve the object information from the recorded intensity distributions during the final step. The results of LRRA were compared with two well-known reconstruction methods, namely the Lucy-Richardson algorithm and non-linear reconstruction. Full article

Plant gums are bio-organic substances that are derived from the barks of trees. They are biodegradable and non-adverse complex polysaccharides that have been gaining usage in recent years due to a number of advantages they contribute to various applications. In this study, gum was collected from Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica trees, then dried and powdered. Characterizations of gum polysaccharides were performed using TLC, GC-MS, NMR, etc., and sugar molecules such as glucose and xylose were found to be present. Effects of the gums on Abelmoschus esculentus growth were observed through root growth, shoot growth, and biomass content. The exposure of the seeds to the plant gums led to bio stimulation in the growth of the plants. Poor quality soil was exposed to the gum polysaccharide, where the polysaccharide was found to improve soil quality, which was observed through soil analysis and SEM analysis of soil porosity and structure. Furthermore, the plant gums were also found to have bio-pesticidal activity against mealybugs, which showed certain interstitial damage evident through histopathological analysis. Full article

Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious biofilm-producing pathogen that is frequently isolated from implantable medical device infections. As biofilm ages, it becomes more tolerant to antimicrobial treatment leading to treatment failure and necessitating the costly removal of infected devices. In this study, we performed in-solution digestion followed by TMT-based high-throughput mass spectrometry and investigated what changes occur in the proteome of S. aureus biofilm grown for 3-days and 12-days in comparison with 24 h planktonic. It showed that proteins associated with biosynthetic processes, ABC transporter pathway, virulence proteins, and shikimate kinase pathway were significantly upregulated in a 3-day biofilm, while proteins associated with sugar transporter, degradation, and stress response were downregulated. Interestingly, in a 3-day biofilm, we observed numerous proteins involved in the central metabolism pathways which could lead to biofilm growth under diverse environments by providing an alternative metabolic route to utilize energy. In 12-day biofilms, proteins associated with peptidoglycan biosynthesis, sugar transporters, and stress responses were upregulated, whereas proteins associated with ABC transporters, DNA replication, and adhesion proteins were downregulated. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that more proteins are involved in metabolic processes in 3dwb compared with 12dwb. Furthermore, we observed significant variations in the formation of biofilms resulting from changes in the level of metabolic activity in the different growth modes of biofilms that could be a significant factor in S. aureus biofilm maturation and persistence. Collectively, potential marker proteins were identified and further characterized to understand their exact role in S. aureus biofilm development, which may shed light on possible new therapeutic regimes in the treatment of biofilm-related implant-associated infections. Full article

Antibiotic resistance, and, in a broader perspective, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), continues to evolve and spread beyond all boundaries. As a result, infectious diseases have become more challenging or even impossible to treat, leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Despite the failure of conventional, traditional antimicrobial therapy, in the past two decades, no novel class of antibiotics has been introduced. Consequently, several novel alternative strategies to combat these (multi-) drug-resistant infectious microorganisms have been identified. The purpose of this review is to gather and consider the strategies that are being applied or proposed as potential alternatives to traditional antibiotics. These strategies include combination therapy, techniques that target the enzymes or proteins responsible for antimicrobial resistance, resistant bacteria, drug delivery systems, physicochemical methods, and unconventional techniques, including the CRISPR-Cas system. These alternative strategies may have the potential to change the treatment of multi-drug-resistant pathogens in human clinical settings. Full article

Background: The 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa recapitulated that nosocomial spread of Ebola virus could occur and that health care workers were at particular risk including notable cases in Europe and North America. These instances highlighted the need for centers to better prepare for potential Ebola virus cases; including understanding how the virus spreads and which interventions pose the greatest risk. Methods: We created a fully equipped intensive care unit (ICU), within a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) laboratory, and infected multiple sedated non-human primates (NHPs) with Ebola virus. While providing bedside care, we sampled blood, urine, and gastric residuals; as well as buccal, ocular, nasal, rectal, and skin swabs, to assess the risks associated with routine care. We also assessed the physical environment at end-point. Results: Although viral RNA was detectable in blood as early as three days post-infection, it was not detectable in the urine, gastric fluid, or swabs until late-stage disease. While droplet spread and fomite contamination were present on a few of the surfaces that were routinely touched while providing care in the ICU for the infected animal, these may have been abrogated through good routine hygiene practices. Conclusions: Overall this study has helped further our understanding of which procedures may pose the highest risk to healthcare providers and provides temporal evidence of this over the clinical course of disease. Full article

Type 2 diabetes makes up approximately 85% of all diabetic cases and it is linked to approximately one-third of all hospitalisations. Newer therapies with long-acting biologics such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues have been promising in managing the disease, but they cannot reverse the pathology of the disease. Additionally, their parenteral administration is often associated with high healthcare costs, risk of infections, and poor patient adherence associated with phobia of needles. Oral delivery of these compounds would significantly improve patient compliance; however, poor enzymatic stability and low permeability across the gastrointestinal tract makes this task challenging. In the present work, large pore dendritic silica nanoparticles (DSNPs) with a pore size of ~10 nm were prepared, functionalized, and optimized in order to achieve high peptide loading and improve intestinal permeation of exenatide, a GLP-1 analogue. Compared to the loading capacity of the most popular, Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM-41) with small pores, DSNPs showed significantly high loading owing to their large and dendritic pore structure. Among the tested DSNPs, pristine and phosphonate-modified DSNPs (PDSNPs) displayed remarkable loading of 40 and 35% w/w, respectively. Furthermore, particles successfully coated with positively charged chitosan reduced the burst release of exenatide at both pH 1.2 and 6.8. Compared with free exenatide, both chitosan-coated and uncoated PDSNPs enhanced exenatide transport through the Caco-2 monolayer by 1.7 fold. Interestingly, when a triple co-culture model of intestinal permeation was used, chitosan-coated PDSNPs performed better compared to both PDSNPs and free exenatide, which corroborated our hypothesis behind using chitosan to interact with mucus and improve permeation. These results indicate the emerging role of large pore silica nanoparticles as promising platforms for oral delivery of biologics such as exenatide. Full article

India has experienced significant Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LULCC) over the past few decades. In this context, careful observation and mapping of LULCC using satellite data of high to medium spatial resolution is crucial for understanding the long-term usage patterns of natural resources and facilitating sustainable management to plan, monitor and evaluate development. The present study utilizes the satellite images to generate national level LULC maps at decadal intervals for 1985, 1995 and 2005 using onscreen visual interpretation techniques with minimum mapping unit of 2.5 hectares. These maps follow the classification scheme of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) to ensure compatibility with other global/regional LULC datasets for comparison and integration. Our LULC maps with more than 90% overall accuracy highlight the changes prominent at regional level, i.e., loss of forest cover in central and northeast India, increase of cropland area in Western India, growth of peri-urban area, and relative increase in plantations. We also found spatial correlation between the cropping area and precipitation, which in turn confirms the monsoon dependent agriculture system in the country. On comparison with the existing global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS), it can be concluded that our dataset has captured the maximum cumulative patch diversity frequency indicating the detailed representation that can be attributed to the on-screen visual interpretation technique. Comparisons with global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS) show that our dataset captures maximum landscape diversity, which is partly attributable to the on-screen visual interpretation techniques. We advocate the utility of this database for national and regional studies on land dynamics and climate change research. The database would be updated to 2015 as a continuing effort of this study. Full article