A comparative study on the antimicrobial activity and the presence of phytochemicals in the petioles and callus of J. curcas.

In the recent years J. curcas have gained lot of importance due to property to produce biodiesel. Another reason because of which this plant has gained importance is due to its medicinal properties. The latex of J. curcas has anticancer properties due to the presence of alkaloid ‘Jatrophine`. The juice of leaf is used to treat piles and bark yields a blue dye for coloring cloths. The latex, leaf, bark, and fruits contain several glycosides, tannins, phytosterols, flavonoids and steroidal sapogenins that exhibit wide ranging medicinal properties. Commercial exploration for biopharmaceuticals, antimicrobial activity and bioenergy production are some of the prospective future potential of this plant. But the question arises, whether the concentration of these secondary metabolites and antimicrobial activity is same in the fresh sample as well as tissue cultured callus. To test the same, present study was planned. For this the petioles of fresh leaves if J. curcas were cultured in the tissue normal tissue culture MS media. The callus so obtained was used for further photochemical screening and antimicrobial activity testing. The results indicate that secondary metabolites like alkaloids, glycosides, flovonoids, tannins, and phlobatannis were present in the fresh samples as well as the cultured callus but the concentration of alkaloids and glycosides were higher in the callus. Both showed antimicrobial activity. By this study we conclude that increased production of secondary metabolites can be obtained by tissue culture technique

A survey of micro flora present in dental caries and it’s relation to enviornmental factors

Periodontal disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory process that occurs in response to infection from bacteria in dental plaque. This may lead to dental caries that destroys the periodontal tissues causing teeth loss. It is also associated to systemic diseases.   In the present study an attempt has been made to find out the general bacterial fauna present in the dental caries. We also tried to find out the relationship between dental caries and age, sex, food habits, C-reactive protein, salivary pH, blood groups. Hundred dental carried subjects and 50 non carried subjects (aged between 23 to 50) volunteered for the study. The result shows a clear association of caries and salivary pH. Also a significant relation was found between the levels of C-reactive protein in saliva and dental caries. The results of study of bacterial fauna show that out of 80 different types of bacteria isolated 85% were gram positive and had a tendency to produce acid

DeepCuts: Single-Shot Interpretability based Pruning for BERT

As language models have grown in parameters and layers, it has become much harder to train and infer with them on single GPUs. This is severely restricting the availability of large language models such as GPT-3, BERT-Large, and many others. A common technique to solve this problem is pruning the network architecture by removing transformer heads, fully-connected weights, and other modules. The main challenge is to discern the important parameters from the less important ones. Our goal is to find strong metrics for identifying such parameters. We thus propose two strategies: Cam-Cut based on the GradCAM interpretations, and Smooth-Cut based on the SmoothGrad, for calculating the importance scores. Through this work, we show that our scoring functions are able to assign more relevant task-based scores to the network parameters, and thus both our pruning approaches significantly outperform the standard weight and gradient-based strategies, especially at higher compression ratios in BERT-based models. We also analyze our pruning masks and find them to be significantly different from the ones obtained using standard metrics.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, 10 equations, initial preprin

A study of periprosthetic fractures following hemi-arthroplasty of hip in elderly population: diagnosis and management

Background: Hemi-arthroplasty of hip for intracapsular fractures of femoral neck is one of the most commonly done surgical procedures in the low mobility older Indian population. Although there are numerous complications associated with the procedure, we want to study the types and management of peri-prosthetic fractures in patients treated with hip hemi-arthroplasty.Methods: A total of 26 patients were included in the study. A retrospective analysis of the radiological cum clinical diagnosis and management of peri-prosthetic fractures was performed. All patients were followed up till 1.5 years post-operatively.Results: According to Vancouver classification of peri-prosthetic fractures, 10 fractures were classified as type A, 7 as type B1, 3 as type B2, 4 as type B3 and 2 as type C. Fractures were managed either by Open Reduction with Internal Fixation (ORIF) or Revision hemi-arthroplasty. Fractures type AG, B1 and C were managed with ORIF and type B2 and B3 fractures were managed with revision hemi-arthroplasty using longer stem.Conclusions: As evident in our study, majority of fractures occurred intra-operatively, a thorough evaluation of pre-operative x-rays of both hips should be done along with special focus on anatomical variations. Correct diagnosis based on radiological and intraoperative findings followed by appropriate treatment are of paramount importance in the management of peri-prosthetic fractures

Therapeutic strategies for BRAF mutation in non-small cell lung cancer: a review

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths. Among the two broad types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 85% of the cases. The study of the genetic alteration has facilitated the development of targeted therapeutic interventions. Some of the molecular alterations which are important targets for drug therapy include Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS), Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), V-RAF murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF), anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK). In the setting of extensive on-going clinical trials, it is imperative to periodically review the advancements and the newer drug therapies being available. Among all mutations, BRAF mutation is common with incidence being 8% overall and 1.5 – 4% in NSCLC. Here, we have summarized the BRAF mutation types and reviewed the various drug therapy available - for both V600 and nonV600 group; the mechanism of resistance to BRAF inhibitors and strategies to overcome it; the significance of comprehensive profiling of concurrent mutations, and the role of immune checkpoint inhibitor in BRAF mutated NSCLC. We have also included the currently ongoing clinical trials and recent advancements including combination therapy that would play a role in improving the overall survival and outcome of NSCLC

Comparative efficacy of different adjuvant containing inactivated vaccines against low-pathogenicity Avian Influenza H9N2 virus

Background: Outbreaks of low-pathogenic Avian Influenza virus H9N2 (AIV-H9N2) occurred in poultry industry in Pakistan in 1998 and caused serious economic losses. Since then, many of the AIV-H9N2 vaccines have been introduced to Pakistani market to control the virus, however, it is still circulating all over the country. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to prepare and evaluate different adjuvant containing vaccines using local isolate of AIV-H9N2 in broiler birds.Methods: Three vaccines; Alum precipitated (AP-AIV), Aluminum hydroxide gel (AH-AIV) and Oil based (OB-AIV) were prepared in the laboratory and injected into broiler birds at 7th and 14th day of age. There were four groups of birds including one control group. To evaluate the serological response of the birds to vaccines, serum antibody titers were measured using haemagglutination inhibition test (HI). Vaccinated and control birds were challenged with AIV-H9N2 and virus shedding was determined from trachea and cloacal swabs by HI.Results: Out of the three prepared OB-AIV with hydrophile lypophile balance (HLB) values 5.37, 8.01 and 9.01, the vaccine with HLB value of 8.01 was the most stable. Each of the adjuvant containing vaccine was effective in inducing high HI antibody titers. However, OB-AIV was found to be the most effective in inducing a significantly higher (P<0.05) HI titer as compared to that of AP-AIV and AH-AIV each. No significant difference was observed between the HI titers induced by AP-AIV and AH-AIV. All the vaccines also showed effective protection against AIV-H9N2 challenge in vaccinated birds.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study reports the successful preparation and evaluation of adjuvant containing inactivated AIV-H9N2 vaccines. OB-AIV formulation was found to be most effective to control the H9N2 virus infections in broiler birds.

Efficacy and outcomes of ramucirumab and docetaxel in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after disease progression on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: Results of a monocentric, retrospective analysis

Current first-line standard therapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer without driver mutations involves chemotherapy and immunotherapy combination. Prior to the advent of immune checkpoint inhibition, REVEL, a randomized phase III trial demonstrated improved progression-free and overall survival with ramucirumab and docetaxel (ram+doc) in patients who failed platinum-based first-line therapy. Long-term outcomes related to second-line ramucirumab and docetaxel after first-line immunotherapy exposure remain unknown. We analyzed outcomes for 35 patients from our center whom received ramucirumab and docetaxel following disease progression on chemotherapy and immunotherapy combination. Median progression-free survival among patients who received ram+doc after exposure to immunotherapy was 6.6 months (95% CI = 5.5 to 14.9 months; p&lt;0.0001), and median overall survival was 20.9 months (95% CI = 13.4 months to infinity; p&lt;0.0001). These outcomes suggest that there may a synergistic benefit to combining chemotherapy with anti-angiogenic therapy after immunotherapy exposure. Future analyses should be evaluated prospectively and among a larger patient subset

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome: A double-blind, phase 1/2a, randomized controlled trial

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 is associated with high mortality. Mesenchymal stem cells are known to exert immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and could yield beneficial effects in COVID-19 ARDS. The objective of this study was to determine safety and explore efficacy of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) infusions in subjects with COVID-19 ARDS. A double-blind, phase 1/2a, randomized, controlled trial was performed. Randomization and stratification by ARDS severity was used to foster balance among groups. All subjects were analyzed under intention to treat design. Twenty-four subjects were randomized 1:1 to either UC-MSC treatment (n = 12) or the control group (n = 12). Subjects in the UC-MSC treatment group received two intravenous infusions (at day 0 and 3) of 100 ± 20 × 106 UC-MSCs; controls received two infusions of vehicle solution. Both groups received best standard of care. Primary endpoint was safety (adverse events [AEs]) within 6 hours; cardiac arrest or death within 24 hours postinfusion). Secondary endpoints included patient survival at 31 days after the first infusion and time to recovery. No difference was observed between groups in infusion-associated AEs. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were observed related to UC-MSC infusions. UC-MSC infusions in COVID-19 ARDS were found to be safe. Inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased in UC-MSC-treated subjects at day 6. Treatment was associated with significantly improved patient survival (91% vs 42%, P =.015), SAE-free survival (P =.008), and time to recovery (P =.03). UC-MSC infusions are safe and could be beneficial in treating subjects with COVID-19 ARDS

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the productivity and career prospects of musculoskeletal researchers

Academic researchers faced a multitude of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including widespread shelter-in-place orders, workplace closures, and cessation of in-person meetings and laboratory activities. The extent to which these challenges impacted musculoskeletal researchers, specifically, is unknown. We developed an anonymous web-based survey to determine the pandemic's impact on research productivity and career prospects among musculoskeletal research trainees and faculty. There were 116 musculoskeletal (MSK) researchers with varying demographic backgrounds who completed the survey. Of respondents, 48.3% (n = 56) believed that musculoskeletal funding opportunities decreased because of COVID-19, with faculty members more likely to hold this belief compared to nonfaculty researchers (p = 0.008). Amongst MSK researchers, 88.8% (n = 103) reported research activity was limited by COVID-19, and 92.2% (n = 107) of researchers reported their research was not able to be refocused on COVID-19-related topics, with basic science researchers less likely to be able to refocus their research compared to clinical researchers (p = 0.030). Additionally, 47.4% (n = 55) reported a decrease in manuscript submissions since the onset of the pandemic. Amongst 51 trainee researchers, 62.8% (n = 32) reported a decrease in job satisfaction directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. In summary, study findings indicated that MSK researchers struggled to overcome challenges imposed by the pandemic, reporting declines in funding opportunities, research productivity, and manuscript submission. Trainee researchers experienced significant disruptions to critical research activities and worsening job satisfaction. Our findings motivate future efforts to support trainees in developing their careers and target the recovery of MSK research from the pandemic stall