Color in the "Black Box": Addressing Racism in Juror Deliberations

The idea of trial by an impartial jury lies at the core of American criminal justice. Yet racism—both explicit and implicit—often has profound impacts on the administration of criminal law and criminal procedure. Such bias manifests itself at all levels of the system, including the deliberative process itself. Currently, however, defendants of color have limited options in challenging racism in juries. This Note analyzes a current circuit split over whether Rule 606(b) provides defendants with one avenue of recourse by introducing juror testimony about statements made during the deliberative process. By looking at the history leading up to the Rule’s enactment, this Note centers institutional legitimacy in the discussion, arguing that the Rule was born out of a desire to preserve the legitimacy of a jury trial following the demise of the trial by ordeal. By barring the introduction of juror testimony about allegedly racist statements made during deliberations, this Note goes on to posit, a strict textual interpretation of Rule 606(b) actually delegitimizes the jury trial in the eyes of communities of color. A strict commitment to the text, therefore, flies in the face of the very purposes of the Rule

VALPROIC ACID TOXICITY INDUCED BY LACOSAMIDE: A RARE CASE REPORT

Valproic acid is commonly used in the treatment of both focal and generalized epilepsies and is often tolerated well.Valproic acid is usually tolerated well, but serious complications, including hepatotoxicity and hyperammonemic encephalopathy, may occur. Here we report a case of valproic acid induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy on concomitant use with lacosamide.Â

Production and Partial Purification of a Neutral Metalloprotease by Fungal Mixed Substrate Fermentation

Five strains of fungi belonging to Aspergillus sp. were evaluated by casein agar plate assay and a wheat bran-based solid-state fermentation for selecting a neutral protease-producing culture. Based on the results, A. oryzae NRRL 2217 was selected for further studies. Sixteen different agro-industrial residues were evaluated for their potential to serve as a substrate for neutral protease production by this fungal strain. Results showed that a combination of coconut oil cake and wheat bran in the mass ratio of 1:3 was the best substrate for enzyme production. Various process parameters influencing protease production including fermentation time, initial moisture content, and fermentation temperature were optimised. The medium was supplemented with different nutrients in the form of organic and inorganic nitrogen and carbon sources. Supplementation of chitin increased the enzyme production significantly. Ammonium nitrate as inorganic nitrogen supplement slightly enhanced enzyme production. No organic nitrogen supplement was effective enhancer of enzyme production. Fermentation was performed under optimised conditions (initial moisture content V/m = 50 %, temperature 30 °C, 48 h). Partial purification of the enzyme resulted in a 3-fold increase in the specific activity of the enzyme. The partially purified enzyme was characterised by various features that govern the enzyme activity such as assay temperature, assay pH and substrate concentration. The effect of various metal ions and known protease inhibitors on the enzyme activity was also studied. The enzyme was found to be stable in pH range 7.0–7.5, and at temperature of 50 °C for 35 min. By the activating effect of divalent cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+) and inhibiting effect of certain chelating agents (EGTA, EDTA), the enzyme was found to be a metalloprotease

Adult onset lung disease following transient disruption of fetal stretch-induced differentiation

One of the mechanisms by which adult disease can arise from a fetal origin is by in utero disruption of organogenesis. These studies were designed to examine respiratory function changes in aging rats following transient disruption of lung growth at 16 days gestation. Fetuses were treated in utero with a replication deficient adenovirus containing the cystic fibrosis conductance transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene fragment cloned in the anti-sense direction. The in utero-treated rats demonstrated abnormal lung function beginning as early as 30 days of age and the pathology progressed as the animals aged. The pulmonary function abnormalities included decreased static compliance as well as increased conducting airway resistance, tissue damping, and elastance. Pressure volume (PV) curves demonstrated a slower early rise to volume and air trapping at end-expiration. The alterations of pulmonary function correlated with lung structural changes determined by morphometric analysis. These studies demonstrate how transient disruption of lung organogensis by single gene interference can result in progressive change in lung function and structure. They illustrate how an adult onset disease can arise from subtle changes in gene expression during fetal development

Proteomics of Trypanosoma evansi Infection in Rodents

infection using mass spectrometry (MS). in mice infected with camel isolate. Homology driven searches for protein identification from MS/MS data led to most of the matches arising from related Trypanosoma species. Proteins identified belonged to various functional categories including metabolic enzymes; DNA metabolism; transcription; translation as well as cell-cell communication and signal transduction. TCA cycle enzymes were strikingly missing, possibly suggesting their low abundances. The clinical proteome revealed the presence of known and potential drug targets such as oligopeptidases, kinases, cysteine proteases and more. infections

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Bioactives and Its Role in Alleviating Oral Pathologies

Garlic (Allium sativa L.) is a bulbous flowering plant belongs to the family of Amaryllidaceae and is a predominant horticultural crop originating from central Asia. Garlic and its products are chiefly used for culinary and therapeutic purposes in many countries. Bulbs of raw garlic have been investigated for their role in oral health, which are ascribed to a myriad of biologically active compounds such as alliin, allicin, methiin, S-allylcysteine (SAC), diallyl sulfide (DAS), S-ally-mercapto cysteine (SAMC), diallyl disulphide (DADS), diallyl trisulfide (DATS) and methyl allyl disulphide. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA statement. Scopus, PubMed, Clinicaltrials.gov, and Science direct databases were searched between 12 April 2021 to 4 September 2021. A total of 148 studies were included and the qualitative synthesis phytochemical profile of GE, biological activities, therapeutic applications of garlic extract (GE) in oral health care system, and its mechanism of action in curing various oral pathologies have been discussed. Furthermore, the safety of incorporation of GE as food supplements is also critically discussed. To conclude, GE could conceivably make a treatment recourse for patients suffering from diverse oral diseases

Therapeutic Uses of Wild Plants by Rural Inhabitants of Maraog Region in District Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

The main aim of this study is to document important ethnomedicinal plants from the Maraog region, located in the district of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, India. A total of 110 medicinal plant species belonging to 102 genera and 57 families were reported from the study site. All of the species were collected from wild habitats. The rural people of the Maraog region were surveyed through interview methods, group discussions, and participatory observations. In the current study, data were collected from 88 informants through the snowball method. A total of 110 plant species were collected from the study area, including 64 herbs, 24 shrubs, 9 trees, 5 climbers, 3 grasses, and 5 ferns. Most of the plant species, reported from the study area, belong to the Rosaceae and Asteraceae families, each contributing 12 plant species, followed by the Lamiaceae family with 6 plant species. The most used part of the plant in the preparation of herbal medications is the leaves, which have been reported in 62 plants, followed by roots in 14 plants, and flowers and other aerial parts in 9 plants. The ethnomedicinal data were analyzed using “Use Value,” a statistical quantitative method, with Artemisia vestita having the highest use value (1.00), followed by Cannabis sativa (0.79), Rhododendron arboreum (0.79), and Datura stramonium (0.71). Older people were found to have a vast knowledge of wild medicinal plants, while the younger generation’s knowledge was lacking. As a result, traditional knowledge about the use of plants as a source of medicine has decreased day-by-day.Therefore, there is a need to document traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. The data could serve as a basis for research by pharmacological and nutraceutical industries for the development of novel drugs

Radical surgery versus organ preservation via short-course radiotherapy followed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery for early-stage rectal cancer (TREC): a randomised, open-label feasibility study

Background: Radical surgery via total mesorectal excision might not be the optimal first-line treatment for early-stage rectal cancer. An organ-preserving strategy with selective total mesorectal excision could reduce the adverse effects of treatment without substantially compromising oncological outcomes. We investigated the feasibility of recruiting patients to a randomised trial comparing an organ-preserving strategy with total mesorectal excision. Methods: TREC was a randomised, open-label feasibility study done at 21 tertiary referral centres in the UK. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older with rectal adenocarcinoma, staged T2 or lower, with a maximum diameter of 30 mm or less; patients with lymph node involvement or metastases were excluded. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) by use of a computer-based randomisation service to undergo organ preservation with short-course radiotherapy followed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery after 8–10 weeks, or total mesorectal excision. Where the transanal endoscopic microsurgery specimen showed histopathological features associated with an increased risk of local recurrence, patients were considered for planned early conversion to total mesorectal excision. A non-randomised prospective registry captured patients for whom randomisation was considered inappropriate, because of a strong clinical indication for one treatment group. The primary endpoint was cumulative randomisation at 12, 18, and 24 months. Secondary outcomes evaluated safety, efficacy, and health-related quality of life assessed with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ C30 and CR29 in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN14422743. Findings: Between Feb 22, 2012, and Dec 19, 2014, 55 patients were randomly assigned at 15 sites; 27 to organ preservation and 28 to radical surgery. Cumulatively, 18 patients had been randomly assigned at 12 months, 31 at 18 months, and 39 at 24 months. No patients died within 30 days of initial treatment, but one patient randomly assigned to organ preservation died within 6 months following conversion to total mesorectal excision with anastomotic leakage. Eight (30%) of 27 patients randomly assigned to organ preservation were converted to total mesorectal excision. Serious adverse events were reported in four (15%) of 27 patients randomly assigned to organ preservation versus 11 (39%) of 28 randomly assigned to total mesorectal excision (p=0·04, χ2 test). Serious adverse events associated with organ preservation were most commonly due to rectal bleeding or pain following transanal endoscopic microsurgery (reported in three cases). Radical total mesorectal excision was associated with medical and surgical complications including anastomotic leakage (two patients), kidney injury (two patients), cardiac arrest (one patient), and pneumonia (two patients). Histopathological features that would be considered to be associated with increased risk of tumour recurrence if observed after transanal endoscopic microsurgery alone were present in 16 (59%) of 27 patients randomly assigned to organ preservation, versus 24 (86%) of 28 randomly assigned to total mesorectal excision (p=0·03, χ2 test). Eight (30%) of 27 patients assigned to organ preservation achieved a complete response to radiotherapy. Patients who were randomly assigned to organ preservation showed improvements in patient-reported bowel toxicities and quality of life and function scores in multiple items compared to those who were randomly assigned to total mesorectal excision, which were sustained over 36 months’ follow-up. The non-randomised registry comprised 61 patients who underwent organ preservation and seven who underwent radical surgery. Non-randomised patients who underwent organ preservation were older than randomised patients and more likely to have life-limiting comorbidities. Serious adverse events occurred in ten (16%) of 61 non-randomised patients who underwent organ preservation versus one (14%) of seven who underwent total mesorectal excision. 24 (39%) of 61 non-randomised patients who underwent organ preservation had high-risk histopathological features, while 25 (41%) of 61 achieved a complete response. Overall, organ preservation was achieved in 19 (70%) of 27 randomised patients and 56 (92%) of 61 non-randomised patients. Interpretation: Short-course radiotherapy followed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery achieves high levels of organ preservation, with relatively low morbidity and indications of improved quality of life. These data support the use of organ preservation for patients considered unsuitable for primary total mesorectal excision due to the short-term risks associated with this surgery, and support further evaluation of short-course radiotherapy to achieve organ preservation in patients considered fit for total mesorectal excision. Larger randomised studies, such as the ongoing STAR-TREC study, are needed to more precisely determine oncological outcomes following different organ preservation treatment schedules. Funding: Cancer Research UK