Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetic form of cardiomyopathy causing fibro-fatty replacement of the myocardium. Although usually transmission is autosomal dominant, 12 genes encoding cardiac desmosomes have been found to be closely linked to this disease process shifting the congenital disease theory to a genetic one. The categorisation of ARVC as a myocyte adhesion disorder was first suggested by a molecular genetic study involving patients with Naxos disease. Misnomeric to only affect the right ventricle, ARVC also affects the left ventricle - culminating into biventricular failure as a long term prognosis. Epidemiology is well established with a male to female preponderance. It is currently the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in population < 35 yrs. Pathological basis of the varied clinical presentation is explained at the molecular level with myocardial atrophy, fibro-fatty replacement and chamber dilatation. Diagnosing the condition by ruling out the pitfall differentials is an enormous challenge due to the broad phenotypic spectrum including syncope on one end and SCD on the other. Task Force Criteria combines electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography (ECHO), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), myocardial biopsy for diagnosis; early detection, family screening and risk stratification being the cornerstones. Therapeutic options although limited due to the progressive nature of the disease is based on preventing life threatening arrhythmias encompassing primary and secondary prevention - Implantable cardioverter -defibrillator (ICD) implantation, radiofrequency ablation and heart transplantation are the main ones

Effect of spectral modification of ρ\rho on shear viscosity of a pion gas

We evaluate the shear viscosity of a pion gas in the relativistic kinetic theory approach. The in-medium propagator of the $\rho$ meson at finite temperature is used to evaluate the $\pi-\pi$ scattering amplitude in the medium. The real and imaginary parts of the self-energy calculated from one-loop diagrams are seen to have noticeable effects on the scattering cross-section. The consequences on temperature dependence of the shear viscosity evaluated in the Chapman-Enskog and relaxation time approximations are studied

Editorial: Global excellence in inflammation pharmacology

In our day-to-day life, acute inflammation occurs commonly as a part of the body’s regular healing process post an injury or infection and is usually short term in nature. The problem arises when this inflammation becomes chronic, due to the failure in resolving itself, leading to a spectrum of diseases which explicitly contributes to more than 50% of worldwide mortality (GBD, 2017 Causes of Death Collaborators, 2018; Furman et al., 2019) Thus, prolonged inflammation is emerging as a serious threat to the global population and socioeconomic sustainability. Advancements in effective anti-inflammatory therapies have been significantly evolving, but challenges persist (Netea et al., 2017). Hence, scientists globally or in global alliance, with varied scientific perspectives, are actively working on finding out pharmacological interventions against inflammation associated pathogenesis and diseases. A major part of the research is also focused on scientific advancements of evolving therapeutic strategies by identifying the central signaling molecules or cascades involved in the onset and progression of chronic inflammation. This special edition Research Topic Global Excellence in Inflammation Pharmacology aims in emphasizing on the recent progress made in these fields, highlighting the diversified research performed across the entire breadth of Inflammation Pharmacology and providing insights to it. This Research Topic comprises of four extensive literature reviews discussing the potential pharmacological interventions and their allied risk in inflammation associated diseases

Investigating the role of amides on the textural and optical properties of mesoporous-nanostructured theta-Al2O3

Mesoporous-nanostructured theta-Al2O3 was synthesized by an autoclaving technique using different amides i.e., formamide (F), dimethyl formamide (DMF) and diethyl formamide (DEF) at 150 degrees C/24 h followed by calcination at 1000 degrees C. Crystallization and structural behaviour of the as-synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The porosity study was carried out by N-2 adsorption-desorption (BET) technique. Microstructural features were measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The amide-based solvents played a deliberate role in microstructural and textural features of theta-Al2O3. The DMF-based solvent showed an enhanced surface area of 158 m(2) g(-1). The as-prepared theta-Al2O3 rendered a nano-sheet, nano-rod and nano-flake like morphology for F, DMF and DEF derived products, respectively. From the UV-Vis spectroscopic measurement, the estimated band-gap of theta-Al2O3 was found to be 5.16-5.40eV. Photoluminescence investigation further revealed blue emission particularly for excitation at a wavelength of 252 nm. A DMF-derived sample rendered the lowest band gap due to its smaller crystallite size and higher surface area compared to that of F- and DEF-derived samples

Evaluation of effect of aqueous extract of leaves of Calotropis procera in pentylenetetrazole induced seizures in rats

Background: The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of leaves of Calotropis procera in wistar rats.Methods: An aqueous extract of leaves of Calotropis procera was prepared. The effect of acute and chronic administration of the extract was tested in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures in wistar rats. Four groups, each containing 6 rats, were used to evaluate acute and chronic effects of the extract. The four groups were treated with distilled water 10 mL/kg (control group), Valproic acid 200 mg/kg (standard), aqueous extract of C. procera 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg respectively. In acute study, PTZ (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was given 1 h after drugs were administered. In chronic study, all drugs were given for 6 weeks following which PTZ was given 1 h after last dose of each drug. The time taken for the onset of myoclonic jerk, seizures and duration of seizures was recorded. GABA levels were estimated in the brain homogenate. Data was analysed by one way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s test.Results: Acute and chronic administration of the extract significantly increased the time to onset of first clonus and seizures and decreased the total duration of seizures. There was no significant change in GABA levels.Conclusions: Both acute and chronic administration of aqueous extract of leaves of Calotropis procera in Wistar rats inhibited pentylenetetrazole induced seizures in rats

Indian Bengal Delta : climate change, awareness and responsibilities

The Bi-Monthly Newsletter “Equalnews” focuses on Environment and Systems of Inquiry. The topic is “Indian Bengal Delta: climate change, awareness and responsibilities” (page 8-12). The Government of India has announced the National Climate Change Action Plan (2008) with eight National Missions, later to become twelve missions by 2014. The world’s largest mangrove forests called “Sundarbans” (named after a species of mangrove Sundari /Hereteria) are part of the delta of Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin, known also as the Indian Bengal Delta (IBD). The article reviews background and concerns of the IBD region, calling for good governance and co-ordinated action

Valley polarization and photocurrent generation in transition metal dichalcogenide alloy MoS2x_{2x}Se2(1−x)_{2(1-x)}

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) constitute the core group of materials in the emerging semiconductor technology of valleytronics. While the coupled spin-valley physics of pristine TMDC materials and their heterstructures has been extensively investigated, less attention was given to TMDC alloys, which could be useful in optoelectronic applications due to the tunability of their band gaps. We report here our experimental investigations of the spin-valley physics of the monolayer and bilayer TMDC alloy, MoS$_{2x}$Se$_{2(1-x)}$, in terms of valley polarization and the generation as well as electrical control of a photocurrent utilising the circular photogalvanic effect. Piezoelectric force microscopy provides evidence for an internal electric field perpendicular to the alloy layer, thus breaking the out-of-plane mirror symmetry. The experimental observation is supported by first principles calculations based on the density functional theory. A comparison of the photocurrent device, based on the alloy material, is made with similar devices involving other TMDC materials

Selective control of molecule charge state on graphene using tip-induced electric field and nitrogen doping

The combination of graphene with molecules offers promising opportunities to achieve new functionalities. In these hybrid structures, interfacial charge transfer plays a key role in the electronic properties and thus has to be understood and mastered. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio density functional theory calculations, we show that combining nitrogen doping of graphene with an electric field allows for a selective control of the charge state in a molecular layer on graphene. On pristine graphene, the local gating applied by the tip induces a shift of the molecular levels of adsorbed molecules and can be used to control their charge state. Ab initio calculations show that under the application of an electric field, the hybrid molecule/graphene system behaves like an electrostatic dipole with opposite charges in the molecule and graphene sub-units that are found to be proportional to the electric field amplitude, which thereby controls the charge transfer. When local gating is combined with nitrogen doping of graphene, the charging voltage of molecules on nitrogen is greatly lowered. Consequently, applying the proper electric field allows one to obtain a molecular layer with a mixed charge state, where a selective reduction is performed on single molecules at nitrogen sites. The local gating applied by a tip induces a shift of the energy levels of molecules adsorbed on graphene. A team led by Jerome Lagoute at Universite Paris Diderot investigated the interplay between the charge state of molecules on pristine and doped-graphene, and the tip-induced electric fields in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. The tip-induced electric field was found to shift the molecular levels of tetracyanoquinodimethane molecules on graphene, leading to a change of charge state at negative bias. Ab initio calculations indicated that the molecule-on-graphene hybrid structure can be regarded as an electrostatic dipole, hence the charge transfer and associated electronic charge in the molecule and graphene could be tuned by the electric field. Furthermore, inserting nitrogen atom dopants allowed shifting the energy levels of single molecules absorbed directly on the electron-donating point defects