A comparative analysis of 21 literature search engines

With increasing number of bibliographic software, scientists and health professionals either make a subjective choice of tool(s) that could suit their needs or face a challenge of analyzing multiple features of a plethora of search programs. There is an urgent need for a thorough comparative analysis of the available bio-literature scanning tools, from the user’s perspective. We report results of the first time semi-quantitative comparison of 21 programs, which can search published (partial or full text) documents in life science areas. The observations can assist life science researchers and medical professionals to make an informed selection among the programs, depending on their search objectives. 
Some of the important findings are: 
1. Most of the hits obtained from Scopus, ReleMed, EBImed, CiteXplore, and HighWire Press were usually relevant (i.e. these tools show a better precision than other tools). 
2. But a very high number of relevant citations were retrieved by HighWire Press, Google Scholar, CiteXplore and Pubmed Central (they had better recall). 
3. HWP and CiteXplore seemed to have a good balance of precision and recall efficiencies. 
4. PubMed Central, PubMed and Scopus provided the most useful query systems. 
5. GoPubMed, BioAsk, EBIMed, ClusterMed could be more useful among the tools that can automatically process the retrieved citations for further scanning of bio-entities such as proteins, diseases, tissues, molecular interactions, etc. 
The authors suggest the use of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and HighWire Press - for better coverage, and GoPubMed - to view the hits categorized based on the MeSH and gene ontology terms. The article is relavant to all life science subjects.
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A Low Power Asynchronous Viterbi Decoder using LEDR Encoding

With the consumer demand for increased content and as a result, increasing high data bandwidth continuing to drive communications systems, coding for error control has become extraordinarily important. One way to improve the Bit Error Rate (BER), while maintaining high data reliability, is to use an error correction technique like the Viterbi algorithm. Originally conceived by Andrew Viterbi as an error-correction scheme for noisy digital communication, the Viterbi algorithm provides an efficient method for Forward Error Correction (FEC) that improves channel reliability. Today, it is used in many digital communications systems in applications as diverse as LTE Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), CDMA and GSM, digital cellular, dial up modems, satellite, deep-space communications, and 802.11 wireless LANs. Though it is useful for error correction it dissipates large power. A lot many researches were carried out at architectural as well as algorithmic level to optimize the ACS (Add compare and Select) unit and Survival Memory Management in Synchronous Viterbi Decoders. But still there is a problem of power dissipation which requires more technical solutions. Due to requirements of high speed, low power, low weight and long battery life a low power Viterbi decoders has a great demand in the communication field. This paper proposed the method for survivor path storage and decoding as Minimum Transition Hybrid Register Exchange Method along with handshaking protocol as Level Encoded dual rail (LEDR) encoding to make the system asynchronous. The whole system has been designed on algorithmic level and Simulation is done on Xilinx Tool for Asynchronous Viterbi Decoder using MTHREM

A prospective open-label randomized comparative study in Alzheimer’s disease between two commonly used drugs in coastal Indian population

Background: Currently, therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is only symptomatic. Only two classes of drugs are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Our study aimed at comparing efficacy and safety of memantine and donepezil in moderate to severe AD patients.Methods: Totally, 22 patients with moderate to severe AD were randomized into the 2 arms of the study. The study was divided into an initial 4 weeks for determination of onset of efficacy and subsequent 28 weeks of the treatment phase. Onset of efficacy and response was defined as >20% and >50% reduction in the mean total score of functional dementia scale (FDS) and clinical global impression scale (CGIS) from baseline to the study end, respectively.Results: Onset of efficacy on FDS and CGIS was 16.7% (mean-time 61.25 days) and 80% (mean-time 36 days) with memantine and donepezil, respectively. Response was 89.3% and 40% with memantine and Donepezil, respectively. Total reduction in FDS and CGIS score of from baseline to the study end was 39.50, 40.00, and 25.60, 27.20 with memantine and donepezil, respectively. Tolerability was 86.33% and 20% with memantine and donepezil, respectively. Anorexia, muscle cramps, constipation, headache, and insomnia, were the common side-effects and self-limiting. Safety was 100% in both groups.Conclusions: Onset of efficacy was faster with donepezil seen at 2 weeks. Response, improvement in CGIS, FDS, and tolerability were better seen with memantine at 40 weeks. Thus, in similar clinical settings, memantine can be preferred

Development of Zein-Pectin Nanoparticle as Drug carrier

Recent years have witnessed tremendous growth of nanotechnology based drug delivery system which reduces drug toxicity and side effects and increases the therapeutic index of the drug. Aim of the study is to develop a biodegradable, non-toxic nanoparticle, solely from natural polymers. Zein – pectin nanoparticle comprising of a hydrophobic zein core and a hydrophilic pectin shell was developed by ultrasonication method. SEM images confirm the nanosize of the nanoparticle. UV- Visible and FT-IR spectroscopic results confirm the incorporation of zein, pectin and the encapsulation of the model drug quercetin in the nanoparticle. Zein is a prolamine class of protein found in wheat, maize etc and pectin is a polymer of galacturonic acid units found in plant cell wal

The Anticancer Plant Triterpenoid, Avicin D, Regulates Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling: Implications for Cellular Metabolism

Avicins, a family of apoptotic triterpene electrophiles, are known to regulate cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis, by targeting the mitochondria. Having evolved from “ancient hopanoids,” avicins bear a structural resemblance with glucocorticoids (GCs), which are the endogenous regulators of metabolism and energy balance. These structural and functional similarities prompted us to compare the mode of action of avicin D with dexamethasone (Dex), a prototypical GC. Using cold competition assay, we show that Avicin D competes with Dex for binding to the GC receptor (GR), leading to its nuclear translocation. In contrast to Dex, avicin-induced nuclear translocation of GR does not result in transcriptional activation of GC-dependent genes. Instead we observe a decrease in the expression of GC-dependent metabolic proteins such as PEPCK and FASN. However, like Dex, avicin D treatment does induce a transrepressive effect on the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB. While avicin's ability to inhibit NF-κB and its downstream targets appear to be GR-dependent, its pro-apoptotic effects were independent of GR expression. Using various deletion mutants of GR, we demonstrate the requirement of both the DNA and ligand binding domains of GR in mediating avicin D's transrepressive effects. Modeling of avicin-GR interaction revealed that avicin molecule binds only to the antagonist confirmation of GR. These findings suggest that avicin D has properties of being a selective GR modulator that separates transactivation from transrepression. Since the gene-activating properties of GR are mainly linked to its metabolic effects, and the negative interference with the activity of transcription factors to its anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive effects, the identification of such a dissociated GR ligand could have great potential for therapeutic use

Avicin D, a Plant Triterpenoid, Induces Cell Apoptosis by Recruitment of Fas and Downstream Signaling Molecules into Lipid Rafts

Avicins, a family of triterpene electrophiles originally identified as potent inhibitors of tumor cell growth, have been shown to be pleiotropic compounds that also possess antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-inflammatory activities. We previously showed that Jurkat cells, which express a high level of Fas, are very sensitive to treatment with avicins. Thus, we hypothesized that avicins may induce cell apoptosis by activation of the Fas pathway. By using a series of cell lines deficient in cell death receptors, we demonstrated that upon avicin D treatment, Fas translocates to the cholesterol- and sphingolipid-enriched membrane microdomains known as lipid rafts. In the lipid rafts, Fas interacts with Fas-associated death domain (FADD) and Caspase-8 to form death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) and thus mediates cell apoptosis. Interfering with lipid raft organization by using a cholesterol-depleting compound, methyl-β-cyclodextrin, not only prevents the clustering of Fas and its DISC complex but also reduces the sensitivity of the cells to avicin D. Avicin D activates Fas pathways independent of the association between extracellular Fas ligands and Fas receptors. A deficiency in Fas and its downstream signaling molecules leads to the resistance of the cells to avicin D treatment. Taken together, our results demonstrate that avicin D triggers the redistribution of Fas in the membrane lipid rafts, where Fas activates receptor-mediated cell death

Targeting EGF-receptor(s) - STAT1 axis attenuates tumor growth and metastasis through downregulation of MUC4 mucin in human pancreatic cancer.

Transmembrane proteins MUC4, EGFR and HER2 are shown to be critical in invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Besides, we and others have demonstrated de novo expression of MUC4 in ~70-90% of pancreatic cancer patients and its stabilizing effects on HER2 downstream signaling in pancreatic cancer. Here, we found that use of canertinib or afatinib resulted in reduction of MUC4 and abrogation of in vitro and in vivo oncogenic functions of MUC4 in pancreatic cancer cells. Notably, silencing of EGFR family member in pancreatic cancer cells decreased MUC4 expression through reduced phospho-STAT1. Furthermore, canertinib and afatinib treatment also inhibited proliferation, migration and survival of pancreatic cancer cells by attenuation of signaling events including pERK1/2 (T202/Y204), cyclin D1, cyclin A, pFAK (Y925) and pAKT (Ser473). Using in vivo bioluminescent imaging, we demonstrated that canertinib treatment significantly reduced tumor burden (P=0.0164) and metastasis to various organs. Further, reduced expression of MUC4 and EGFR family members were confirmed in xenografts. Our results for the first time demonstrated the targeting of EGFR family members along with MUC4 by using pan-EGFR inhibitors. In conclusion, our studies will enhance the translational acquaintance of pan-EGFR inhibitors for combinational therapies to combat against lethal pancreatic cancer

Electrospun SnO2/LTO Composite Sub-Micron Dimpled Spheres as High Performance Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

SnO2 is one of the high capacity (782 mAh/g) anode materials used in lithium ion batteries with a tetragonal rutile structure and it alloys at voltage of 0.5V vs Li. However, cyclic stability for SnO2 and Sn based materials is very poor due to high volume expansion during alloying with Li ions (charging) and disintegration of structure during de-alloying (discharging) besides the formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) at lower operating voltage of the anode. Many attempts have been made to improve the cycle stability and minimize capacity losses of these materials by nanostructuring, making nanocomposites with graphene and CNT. Even though the results are promising, reproducibility and the scaling up of the electrode material still remains as a challenge. Here we introduce electrospinning as a new way of improving the cycle stability with minimum capacity loss using a composite electrode of SnO2 and lithium titanate (LTO). LTO with a cubic spinel structure can intercalate reversibly with Li ions delivering a capacity of 175 mAh/g, theoretically. Low crystal strains during charging–discharging makes the material work even at high charging rates. The combination of SnO2 and LTO can reduce the volume expansion experienced by bare SnO2 during alloying dealloying reaction as LTO itself is a zero-strain material