Facts and Treatment of Bullous Pemphigoid: A Review

Bullous pemphigoid (a type of pemphigoid) is an autoimmune pruritic skin disease that typically occurs in people aged over 60, that may involve the formation of blisters (bullae) in the space between the epidermal and dermal skin layers. It is classified as a type II hypersensitivity reaction, which involves formation of anti-hemidesmosome antibodies, causing a loss of keratinocytes to basement membrane adhesion. Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid are autoantibody-mediated blistering skin diseases. In pemphigus, keratinocytes in epidermis and mucous membranes lose cell-cell adhesion, and in pemphigoid, the basal keratinocytes lose adhesion to the basement membrane. Pemphigus lesions are mediated directly by the autoantibodies, whereas the autoantibodies in pemphigoid fix complement and mediate inflammation. In both diseases, the autoantigens have been cloned and characterized; pemphigus antigens are desmogleins (cell adhesion molecules in desmosomes), and pemphigoid antigens are found in hemidesmosomes (which mediate adhesion to the basement membrane). This knowledge has enabled diagnostic testing for these diseases by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and dissection of various pathophysiological mechanisms, including direct inhibition of cell adhesion, antibody-induced internalization of antigen, and cell signaling. Understanding these mechanisms of disease has led to rational targeted therapeutic strategies

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Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted during 2012 and 2013 with three maize hybrids viz, 30V92, Sandhya and DHM-117 treated with five levels of irrigation waters viz., BAW (Best Available Water), E 2, 4, 6 and 8 dS iw m-1 through drip irrigation in Factorial Randomized block design with three replications. The soil physico -1 chemical properties and nutrient contents were also studied to know the impact of saline irrigation. Considerable variations were found in soil properties. Soil pH decreased with increased EC levels while soil ECe values iw Ce increased. Soil NPK contents were slightly varied with higher EC levels due to non-availability of water. Significant yield reductions were noticed in all the three maize hybrids with each increment in salinity of irrigation water. Among three hybrids 30V92 hybrid got the highest yield (55.5 qha-1) followed by Sandhya and DHM -117. Highest K/Na ratio was found in 30V92 hybrid revealing that, it is the significant character for tolerant to salinity levels as compared to other hybridsICA

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Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted during 2012 and 2013 with three maize hybrids viz, 30V92, Sandhya and DHM-117 treated with five levels of irrigation waters viz., BAW (Best Available Water), ECiw 2, 4, 6 and 8 dS m-1 through drip irrigation in Factorial Randomized block design with three replications. The soil physicochemical properties and nutrient contents were also studied to know the impact of saline irrigation. Considerable variations were found in soil properties. Soil pH decreased with increased ECiw levels while soil ECe values increased. Soil NPK contents were slightly varied with higher EC levels due to non-availability of water. Significant yield reductions were noticed in all the three maize hybrids with each increment in salinity of irrigation water. Among three hybrids 30V92 hybrid got the highest yield (55.5 qha-1) followed by Sandhya and DHM -117. Highest K/Na ratio was found in 30V92 hybrid revealing that, it is the significant character for tolerant to salinity levels as compared to other hybrids.Not Availabl

SEPARATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FORCED DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF LOFEXIDINE BY USING LC-MS/MS

Objectives: A rapid and reliable isocratic LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the separation and identification of stress degradation products (DPs) of lofexidine. Methods: Lofexidine, a non-opioid centrally acting alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonist, was subjected to hydrolysis (acidic, alkaline, and neutral), oxidation, photolysis, and thermal stress as per International Council on Harmonization specified conditions. The drug showed extensive degradation under alkaline, acidic, oxidation, and photolytic stress condition. Results: A total of 14 DPs were observed and the chromatographic separation of the drug and its DPs were achieved on waters symmetry C18 (150 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm) column using water and acetonitrile (75:25 v/v) as mobile phase. The DPs were separated and identified using LC-MS/MS. The LC-MS/MS method was validated with respect to specificity, linearity, accuracy, and precision. Conclusion: The proposed method was used for impurity profiling and routine quality control tests of lofixidine

Bio-Mediated Sandy Soil Stabilization Using Urease Enzymatic Calcite Precipitation: A Sustainable Solution

A recently developing bacteria based soil-stabilization technique inspired from microbially impelled calcite precipitation phenomena is verified for geo-technical applications. This phenomena make use of the metabolic mechanics of microorganisms to produce calcite precipitation all through soil matrix enhancing the soil’s engineering properties. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and soil hydraulic conductivity or permeability is evaluated to validate the formation of mineral precipitates between and around soil grains. Due to metabolic process of bacteria calcite minerals are generated binding the soil particles together reducing the voids volume and diameter subsequently a dense microstructure is formed. This improvement of soil homogeneity reduces the hydraulic conductivity and increase the unconfined compression strength of bacteria-treated soil samples. From the results of experimental investigations it is confirmed that mineral precipitation biologically proves to be an effective and efficient method of soil stabilization in increasing the stiffness and permeability of soil samples considered for study

Design and Analysis of a Remotely Operated Mini Forklift Bot

This work is concerned with the design, analysis and programming of a scaled down version of an electric forklift robot. An advantageous consequence of this device is the development of space saving storage units that allow for efficient packing of lighter goods into areas that while not built for human movement, allow ample space for movement of our forkliftt bot. This is especially important in cases where each cubic meter of the storage unit is valuable, for example, refrigerated goods storage units. Each part of the robot was either carefully selected or designed from scratch in the pursuit of maximizing the load bearing capacity to design-weight ratio. As such, structural analysis was conducted for each part using the Ansys Workbench simulation package. Furthermore, motors that were operated using standard electronic circuits were installed to remotely control the traversal of the bot, while cameras and sensors were employed to monitor its surroundings and movements. The next step was to program the logic circuit and link the various components wired to it. Here the main control device used was an Arduino, which is an integrated open-source electronic platform that allows for precision control of the various electronic components in accordance with the operator’s inputs. The hardware used for passing instructions to the Arduino was a common smart phone on which a self-developed android app was installed. Writing a program for this involves careful calibration of the power and position of the driving components and the electric signals they receive