Iris segmentation

The quality of eye image data become degraded particularly when the image is taken in the non-cooperative acquisition environment such as under visible wavelength illumination. Consequently, this environmental condition may lead to noisy eye images, incorrect localization of limbic and pupillary boundaries and eventually degrade the performance of iris recognition system. Hence, this study has compared several segmentation methods to address the abovementioned issues. The results show that Circular Hough transform method is the best segmentation method with the best overall accuracy, error rate and decidability index that more tolerant to ‘noise’ such as reflection

Crotalaria shuklae Arjun Prasad Tiwari & Anis Ahmad Ansari (Fabaceae) - a New Species from India

A new species Crotalaria shuklae Arjun Prasad Tiwari & Anis Ahmad Ansari is described from Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India with detailed description, illustration, photographs, etc., for easy identification in field

Iris Segmentation

The quality of eye image data become degraded particularly when the image is taken in the non-cooperative acquisition environment such as under visible wavelength illumination. Consequently, this environmental condition may lead to noisy eye images, incorrect localization of limbic and pupillary boundaries and eventually degrade the performance of iris recognition system. Hence, this study has compared several segmentation methods to address the abovementioned issues. The results show that Circular Hough transform method is the best segmentation method with the best overall accuracy, error rate and decidability index that more tolerant to ‘noise’ such as reflection

Abstract 904: Podocyte-specific SMPDl3b modulates radiation-induced renal dysfunction

Abstract Background: The underlying mechanisms responsible for the renal failure and proteinuria in radiation nephropathy remain largely unknown. Radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy may result in radiation-induced kidney injury in pelvic malignancies such as gynecologic cancers, lymphomas, gastrointestinal cancers, sarcomas of the upper abdomen and during total body irradiation. The current study investigates the role of sphingolipids in radiation-induced podocytopathy using a murine model. The molecular and functional effects of kidney irradiation were evaluated after single-dose exposures. Material/Methods: In cell culture, SMPDL3b expression post radiation (8Gy) was determined by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. Morphological changes and DNA damage were detected post radiation using immunofluorescence microscopy. Wild-type C57BL/6 male and female mice (age 10-14 weeks) were irradiated with a single dose of X-ray (14 Gy) using an image guided small animal arc radiation treatment system (iSMAART). Rituximab/IgG was administered (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) 30 min before the single dose of irradiation. Functional kidney parameters, kidney histology, and gene expression were analyzed at 20, 30 and 40 weeks after irradiation. Results: Following irradiation, SMPDL3b expression at protein level was significantly reduced in vitro and in vivo. However, no significant changes were observed at the transcriptional level. Podocyte number also decreased significantly post radiation in vivo. iSMAART dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) imaging data analysis showed reduced glomerular filtration rate post radiation. In agreement with the functional data, hematoxylin and eosin staining of kidney sections showed a multifocal increase in the number of pericytes, tubular atrophy, and glomerular damage. Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) staining showed an increase in glomerular mesangial matrix accumulation post radiation. Sirius red staining showed diffuse intertubular fibrosis, especially in the renal cortex post radiation. These histological changes were paralleled by the change in serum Creatinine, urine albumin. Rituximab pretreatment to mice, improved kidney functional parameters, vascular structure, normalization of pericyte coverage, suppress the development of fibrosis and tubular damage post irradiation. Conclusion: This study shows that rituximab pretreatment protects mice against radiation-induced nephrotoxicity, which may have therapeutic implications for radiation-induced injuries in cancer patients. Citation Format: Anis Ahmad, Alla Mitrofanova, Saba Ansari, Thirupandiyur Udayakumar, Jacek Bielawski, Alan Pollack, Alesia Fornoni, Brian Marples, Youssef Zeidan. Podocyte-specific SMPDl3b modulates radiation-induced renal dysfunction [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 904. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-904</jats:p

Designing, synthesis, and antimicrobial action of oxazoline and thiazoline derivatives of fatty acid esters

<p>In this study, a novel series of oxazoline and thiazoline were designed as inhibitors of cytochrome P450 14 alpha-sterol demethylase (CYP51) from <i>Candida albicans</i> and peptide deformylase (PDF) of <i>Escherichia coli</i>. The long chain dibromo derivative of fatty acid esters on reaction with urea and thiourea gave their corresponding oxazolines and thiazolines, respectively. All the compounds were characterized by their spectral data (IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and MS) and tested for antibacterial and antifungal activity by disk diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration by the broth microdilution method against gram-positive and gram-negative strains of bacteria as well as fungus strains. The investigation into antimicrobial screening revealed that all the compounds were found to be potent antimicrobial agents. After calculating likeness drug properties of the compounds by Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances software, ADMET-related descriptors were computed to predict the pharmacokinetic properties for the active and bioavailable compounds by discovery studio 2.5. Molecular docking studies have been performed on PDF of <i>E. coli</i> and CYP 450-14DM of <i>C. albicans</i> to understand the mode of binding of the molecules in the active site of the receptor. Compounds (2-amino-5-(carbomethoxyoctyl)-1,3-oxazoline, 2-amino-5-(carbomethoxyoctyl)-1,3-thiazoline and 2-amino-4-pentyl-5-[(8’R)-8’ hydroxy (carbomethoxydecyl)-1,3-oxazoline<b>)</b> showed excellent antimicrobial activity nearly equivalent to the control compounds and compounds, 2-amino-4-octyl-5-(carbomethoxyheptyl)-1,3-oxazolin, 2-amino-4-(2’R)(2’-hydroxy octyl)-5-(carbomethoxyheptyl)-1,3-oxazoline and 2-amino-4-pentyl-5-[(8’R)-8’-hydroxy(carbomethoxy decyl)-1,3-oxazolineshowed vasodilation and antihypertensive properties. Furthermore, a computational analysis of physicochemical parameters revealed that the most of the compounds possessed drug-like attributes. Using Bioinformatics approach, we found a correlation between the observed and predicted antimicrobial activities.</p> <p>A series of novel oxazoline and thiazoline derivatives of long chain unsaturated fatty acid esters were synthesized from urea and thiourea, respectively, and screened for their antibacterial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i>, Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, <i>Streptococcus pyogenes</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumonia</i> and antifungal activity against <i>Candida albicans</i>, <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>, <i>Penicillium marneffei</i>, <i>Trichophyton mentagrophytes</i>.</p

Noninvasive assessment of radiation-induced renal injury in mice

The kidney is a radiosensitive late-responding normal tissue. Injury is characterized by radiation nephropathy and decline of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The current study aimed to compare two rapid and cost-effective methodologies of assessing GFR against more conventional biomarker measurements. C57BL/6 mice were treated with bilateral focal X-irradiation (1x14Gy or 5x6Gy). Functional measurements of kidney injury were assessed 20 weeks post-treatment. GFR was estimated using a transcutaneous measurement of fluorescein-isothiocyanate conjugated (FITC)-sinistrin renal excretion and also dynamic contrast-enhanced CT imaging with a contrast agent (ISOVUE-300 Iopamidol). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Periodic acid-Schiff staining identified comparable radiation-induced glomerular atrophy and mesangial matrix accumulation after both radiation schedules, respectively, although the fractionated regimen resulted in less diffuse tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Albumin-to-creatinine ratios (ACR) increased after irradiation (1x14Gy: 100.4 ± 12.2 µg/mg; 6x5Gy: 80.4 ± 3.02 µg/mg) and were double that of nontreated controls (44.9 ± 3.64 µg/mg). GFR defined by both techniques was negatively correlated with BUN, mesangial expansion score, and serum creatinine. The FITC-sinistrin transcutaneous method was more rapid and can be used to assess GFR in conscious animals, dynamic contrast-enhanced CT imaging technique was equally safe and effective. This study demonstrated that GFR measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced CT imaging is safe and effective compared to transcutaneous methodology to estimate kidney function

Major bioactive metabolites from marine fungi: A Review

Biologists and chemists of the world have been attracted towards marine natural products for the last five decades. Approximately 16,000 marine natural products have been isolated from marine organisms which have been reported in approximately 6,800 publications, proving marine microorganisms to be a invaluable source for the production of novel antibiotic, anti tumor, and anti inflammatory agents. The marine fungi particularly those associated with marine alga, sponge, invertebrates, and sediments appear to be a rich source for secondary metabolites, possessing Antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiyeast activities. Besides, a few growth stimulant properties which may be useful in studies on wound healing, carcinogenic properties, and in the study of cancers are reported. Recent investigations on marine filamentous fungi looking for biologically active secondary metabolites indicate the tremendous potential of them as a source of new medicines. The present study reviews about some important bioactive metabolites reported from marine fungal strains which are anti bacterial, anti tumour and anti inflammatory in action. It highlights the chemistry and biological activity of the major bioactive alkaloids, polyketides, terpenoids, isoprenoid and non-isoprenoid compounds, quinones, isolated from marine fungi

A designer bow-tie combination therapeutic platform: An approach to resistant cancer treatment by simultaneous delivery of cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory agents and radiation

Multimodal therapies are used to treat advanced cancers including castration-resistant prostate cancer to manage the biological characteristics of the tumors like inflammation, bone metastases, and participation of metabolically altered cancer stem cells (CSCs) that have integral roles in disease dissemination and progression. We developed a multifunctional polymer-based self-assembled technology to deliver a predefined stoichiometric combination of a chemotherapy and an anti-inflammatory agent in a stimuli responsive manner, to complement and improve the currently established treatment methods of prostate cancer. We combined clinically applicable fractionated radiation therapy (XRT) to further sensitize the activity of this targeted multifunctional platform towards prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expressing advanced prostate cancer. After irradiation, our PSMA-targeted self-assembly system could modulate the mitochondrial metabolism, cellular respiration and the overall radiation-induced DNA damage process. We report the synthesis of this advanced multifunctional platform and describe its unique properties that allow the ability to load multiple FDA approved drugs with a predefined stoichiometric ratio for targeted co-delivery of chemotherapeutics and anti-inflammatory agents. The efficacy of this platform was demonstrated using several in vitro and in vivo studies, in a unique bilateral PSMA expressing prostate cancer tumor model, and in patient derived CSCs