Does mobile phone instructional video demonstrating sputum expectoration improve the sputum sample quality and quantity in presumptive pulmonary TB cases? Protocol for a prospective pragmatic non-randomised controlled trial in Karnataka state, India.

INTRODUCTION: Sputum smear microscopy is the cornerstone of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in India. Instructions on how to produce a good sputum sample are a part of RNTCP training manuals, but its assessment is not emphasised. Healthcare provider's instruction to expectorate a good sputum sample has limitations. Presumptive TB patients often submit inadequate (in quantity and/or quality) sputum samples, which may result in false-negative results. Objectives of the study are, among the selected RNTCP designated microscopy centres in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India, (a) to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone instructional video demonstrating sputum expectoration on sputum quality and quantity and (b) to explore the mobile phone video implementation challenges as perceived by the healthcare providers. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a pragmatic, prospective, non-randomised controlled trial in two pairs of RNTCP Designated Microscopy Centres (located at secondary and primary healthcare facilities) of Dakshina Kannada district, India. Presumptive pulmonary TB patients aged ≥18 years will be included. We will exclude who are severely ill, blind, hearing impaired, patients who have already brought their sputum for examination, and transported sputum. In the intervention group, participants will watch a mobile phone instructional video demonstrating submission of an adequate sputum sample. The control group will follow the usual ongoing procedure for sputum submission. This study would require 406 participants for each group to achieve a power of 90% for detecting a difference of 15% between the two groups. The participant enrolment started in December 2019. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Yenepoya University Ethics Committee, Mangaluru, India, has approved the study protocol (YEC-1/158/2019). It complies with the Declaration of Helsinki, local laws, and the International Council for Harmonization-good clinical practices. Investigators will present the results in scientific forums, publish in a scientific journal, and share with RNTCP officers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2019/06/019887)

A Quick NIR Based Method for Ascertaining Coffee and Chicory Percentage in a Mixture

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage of the human population for several centuries. In coffee consuming countries encompassing India, Brazil, France, and parts of the USA, chicory is added to coffee as a substitute and to enhance the color of the beverage. There is hardly any non-destructive technique to ascertain the percentage of chicory and coffee in the solid mixture. Herein, we report a simple and quick near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) based method for quantification of coffee and chicory percentages in the solid mixture. The method has been developed for Arabica, Robusta variety coffee powder in addition to instant coffee powder. We evaluated a commercial coffee powder having reported values of 65 % of Coffee and 35 % of Chicory by employing the developed method. The achieved method revealed a result of 64.2 % of coffee and 35.8 % of Chicory. Results demonstrate the power of NIR spectroscopic method as a rapid technique for quantification of coffee and chicory percentage in the solid mixture which is expected to facilitate the consumer and coffee industry.</p

Improved Synthesis of Lysine- and Arginine-Derived Amadori and Heyns Products and in Vitro Measurement of their Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Activity

The l-lysine- and l-arginine-derived Amadori and Heyns products consisting of <i>N</i>-(1-deoxy-d-fructos-1-yl)­amino acid and <i>N</i>-(2-deoxy-d-glucos-2-yl)­amino acid were prepared by reaction of d-fructose and d-glucose with l-lysine hydrochloride and l-arginine hydrochloride using commercial zinc powder as deprotonating reagent and also as catalyst precursor in a simple synthetic route in high yield. These compounds were screened for angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity using a high-throughput colorimetric assay (utilizing porcine kidney ACE). The IC₅₀ values fall in the range of 1030–1175 μM, with <i>N</i>^α-(1-deoxy-d-fructos-1-yl)­arginine showing the best IC₅₀ value (1030 ± 38 μM). This study demonstrates an improved synthetic method for simple Amadori and Heyns products and their moderate ACE inhibitor activity

Capsaicin Entrapment in Metal-Organic Framework Material Derived from γ-Cyclodextrin

Capsaicin, a pungent molecule from red chilli is known for its therapeutic benefits. However, poor aqueous solubility coupled with inherent pungency has limited its applications. We envisaged, encapsulation of capsaicin in biocompatible MOF material derived from γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) to overcome solubility and pungency attributes. Encapsulation of capsaicin was accomplished via crystal growth achieved by vapour diffusion of ethanol to synthesis solution consisting of γ-CD, KOH and capsaicin.The accomplished MOF Caps@γ-CDMOF was thoroughly characterized in solid state by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), IR, DSC, SEM and in solution by UV, fluorescence, NMR spectroscopic techniques. The encapsulation of capsaicin was found to be slightly higher than 3:1 (γ-CD: capsaicin ratio) in Caps@γ-CDMOF.</p

Synthesis, characterization and hydrogen bonding attributes of halogen bonded O-hydroxy Schiff bases: Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and DFT studies

Halogen bond has been the focus of crystal engineering for many decades. The role of intra molecular halogen bonds on adjacent intramolecular hydrogen bonding attributes has hardly been investigated. The O-hydroxy Schiff bases offer a good platform to shed light on these bonding aspects. The halogen bonded O-hydroxy Schiff bases were synthesized by the reaction of aldehydes with primary amines. Compounds were then characterized using mass, FTIR and NMR spectroscopic methods. Finally, the three dimensional molecular structures of all the Schiff base compounds were confirmed through single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The crystal structures exhibit both inter and intramolecular hydrogen bond interactions. The O-H center dot center dot center dot N intramolecular interactions form the six membered pseudo chelate rings. The structures are also stabilized by C-O center dot center dot center dot pi, N-O center dot center dot center dot pi and pi center dot center dot center dot pi interactions. These molecular interactions were then quantified using Hirshfeld surface analysis. Further, the density functional theory calculations were employed using B3LYP hybrid functional with 6-311G+(d, p) level basis set to optimize the structural coordinates. The chemically active regions of the Schiff base molecules were identified by the analysis of molecular electrostatic potential surface. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Antiaflatoxigenic and Antimicrobial Activities of Schiff Bases of 2‑Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde, Cinnamaldehyde, and Similar Aldehydes

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (HMBA) is a nontoxic phenolic flavor from dietary source Decalipus hamiltonii and Hemidesmus indicus. HMBA is an excellent antimicrobial agent with additional antiaflatoxigenic potency. On the other hand, cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon is a widely employed flavor with significant antiaflatoxigenic activity. We have attempted the enhancement of antiaflatoxigenic and antimicrobial properties of HMBA, cinnamaldehyde, and similar molecules via Schiff base formation accomplished from condensation reaction with amino sugar (d-glucamine). HMBA derived Schiff bases exhibited commendable antiaflatoxigenic activity at the concentration 0.1 mg/mL resulting in 9.6 ± 1.9% growth of Aspergillus flavus and subsequent 91.4 ± 3.9% reduction of aflatoxin B₁ with respect to control