Codon Usage Is Influenced by Compositional Constraints in Genes Associated With Dementia

Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive cognitive decline, and the symptoms could be gradual, persistent, and progressive. In the present study, we investigated 47 genes that have been linked to dementia. Compositional, selectional, and mutational forces were seen to be involved. The influence of these two compositional constraints on codon usage bias (CUB) was positive for nucleotide A and negative for GC. Nucleotide A also experienced the highest mutational force, and GC-ending codons were preferred over AT-ending codons. A high bias towards GC-ending codons enhanced the gene expression level, evidenced by the positive association between CAI and GC-ending codons. The unusual behavior of TTG codon showing an inverse relationship with GC-ending codon and negative influence of gene expression, a behavior contrary to all other GC-ending codons, shows operative selectional force. Furthermore, parity analysis, higher translational selection value, preference of GC-ending codons over AT-ending codons, and the association of gene length with gene expression refer to the dominant role of selection pressure with compositional constraint and mutational force shaping codon usage

Pleuropulmonary Blastoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

The case of 38-month-old boy is being reported who was brought to the pediatrics clinic with fever, cough, hemoptysis, and breathing difficulty. Imaging studies revealed a right lower chest mass. Lobectomy and histopathological examination revealed it to be predominantly solid pleuropulmonary blastoma type II. It is a rare pediatric pleuropulmonary tumor with aggressive behavior and tendency to spread to the brain. The case is being presented to make the general histopathologist aware of this rare entity and to highlight to the pediatric physicians/surgeons, radiologists, and histopathologists the fact that lung cysts in infants and young children should be evaluated seriously and sampled thoroughly to diagnose cases of type I pleuropulmonary blastoma which will progress over time to type II or type III tumors. Also the siblings and first degree relatives of the patient should be screened for associated pulmonary and extrapulmonary benign and malignant conditions

Small Molecules from Nature Targeting G-Protein Coupled Cannabinoid Receptors: Potential Leads for Drug Discovery and Development

The cannabinoid molecules are derived from Cannabis sativa plant which acts on the cannabinoid receptors types 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2) which have been explored as potential therapeutic targets for drug discovery and development. Currently, there are numerous cannabinoid based synthetic drugs used in clinical practice like the popular ones such as nabilone, dronabinol, and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol mediates its action through CB1/CB2 receptors. However, these synthetic based Cannabis derived compounds are known to exert adverse psychiatric effect and have also been exploited for drug abuse. This encourages us to find out an alternative and safe drug with the least psychiatric adverse effects. In recent years, many phytocannabinoids have been isolated from plants other than Cannabis. Several studies have shown that these phytocannabinoids show affinity, potency, selectivity, and efficacy towards cannabinoid receptors and inhibit endocannabinoid metabolizing enzymes, thus reducing hyperactivity of endocannabinoid systems. Also, these naturally derived molecules possess the least adverse effects opposed to the synthetically derived cannabinoids. Therefore, the plant based cannabinoid molecules proved to be promising and emerging therapeutic alternative. The present review provides an overview of therapeutic potential of ligands and plants modulating cannabinoid receptors that may be of interest to pharmaceutical industry in search of new and safer drug discovery and development for future therapeutics

Prevalence and characteristics of fever in adult and paediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19):a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17515 patients

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a pandemic disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 started to spread globally since December 2019 from Wuhan, China. Fever has been observed as one of the most common clinical manifestations, although the prevalence and characteristics of fever in adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall pooled prevalence of fever and chills in addition to fever characteristics (low, medium, and high temperature) in both adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients.MethodsThe protocol of this systematic review and meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020176327). PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases were searched between 1st December 2019 and 3rd April 2020 without language restrictions. Both adult (≥18 years) and paediatric (ResultsWe identified 2055 studies, of which 197 studies (n = 24266) were included in the systematic review and 167 studies with 17142 adults and 373 paediatrics were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the pooled prevalence of fever in adult and paediatric COVID-19 patients were 79.43% [95% CI: 77.05-81.80, I2 = 95%] and 45.86% [95% CI: 35.24-56.48, I2 = 78%], respectively. Besides, 14.45% [95% CI: 10.59-18.32, I2 = 88%] of the adult COVID-19 patients were accompanied with chills. In adult COVID-19 patients, the prevalence of medium-grade fever (44.33%) was higher compared to low- (38.16%) and high-grade fever (14.71%). In addition, the risk of both low (RR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.69-3.22, pConclusionsThe prevalence of fever in adult COVID-19 patients was high, however, 54.14% of paediatric COVID-19 patients did not exhibit fever as an initial clinical feature. Prevalence and risk of low and medium-grade fevers were higher compared to high-grade fever

An innovative fractal monopole MIMO antenna for modern 5G applications

Proposed in this paper is the design of an innovative and compact antenna array which based on four radiating elements for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) antenna applications used in 5G communication systems. The radiating elements are fractal curves excited using an open-circuited feedline through a coplanar waveguide (CPW). The feedline is electromagnetically coupled to the inside edge of the radiating element. The array's impedance bandwidth is enhanced by inserting a ground structure composed of low-high-low impedance between the radiating elements. The low-impedance section of the ground is a staircase structure that is inclined at an angle to follow the input feedline. This inter-radiating element essentially suppresses near-field radiation between adjacent radiators. A band reject filter based on a composite right/left hand (CRLH) structure is mounted at the back side of the antenna array to reduce mutual coupling between the antenna elements by choking surface wave propagations that can otherwise degrade the radiation performance of the array antenna. The CRLH structure is based on the Hilbert fractal geometry, and it was designed to act like a stop band filter over the desired frequency bands. The proposed antenna array was fabricated and tested. It covers the frequency bands in the range from 2 to 3 GHz, 3.4-3.9 GHz, and 4.4-5.2 GHz. The array has a maximum gain of 6. 2dBi at 3.8 GHz and coupling isolation better than 20 dB. The envelope correlation coefficient of the antenna array is within the acceptable limit. There is good agreement between the simulated and measured results.Dr. Mohammad Alibakhshikenari acknowledges support from the CONEX-Plus programme funded by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 801538. Funding for APC: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Read & Publish Agreement CRUE-CSIC 2022)

Metabolic regulation in HPV associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Cancer cells exhibit distinct energy metabolic pathways due to multiple oncogenic events. In normoxia condition, the anaerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) is highly observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). HNSCC is associated with smoking, chewing tobacco, consumption of alcohol or Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection primarily HPV16. In recent years, the correlation of HPV with HNSCC has significantly expanded. Despite the recent advancement in therapeutic approaches, the rate of HPV infected HNSCC has significantly increased in the last few years, specifically, in lower middle-income countries. The oncoproteins of High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV), E6 and E7, alter the metabolic phenotype in HNSCC, which is distinct from non-HPV associated HNSCC. These oncoproteins, modulate the cell cycle and metabolic signalling through interacting with tumor suppressor proteins, p53 and pRb. Since, metabolic alteration represents a major hallmark for tumorigenesis, HPV acts as a source of biomarker linked to cancer progression in HNSCC. The dependency of cancer cells to specific nutrients and alteration of various metabolic associated genes may provide a unique opportunity for pharmacological intervention in HPV infected HNSCC. In this review, we have discussed the molecular mechanism (s) and metabolic regulation in HNSCC depending on the HPV status. We have also discussed the possible potential therapeutic approaches for HPV associated HNSCC through targeting metabolic pathways

The diabetic brain and cognition

The prevalence of both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) is increasing with the aging of the population. Studies from the last several years have shown that people with diabetes have an increased risk for dementia and cognitive impairment. Therefore, the authors of this consensus review tried to elaborate on the role of diabetes, especially diabetes type 2 (T2DM) in both AD and VaD. Based on the clinical and experimental work of scientists from 18 countries participating in the International Congress on Vascular Disorders and on literature search using PUBMED, it can be concluded that T2DM is a risk factor for both, AD and VaD, based on a pathology of glucose utilization. This pathology is the consequence of a disturbance of insulin-related mechanisms leading to brain insulin resistance. Although the underlying pathological mechanisms for AD and VaD are different in many aspects, the contribution of T2DM and insulin resistant brain state (IRBS) to cerebrovascular disturbances in both disorders cannot be neglected. Therefore, early diagnosis of metabolic parameters including those relevant for T2DM is required. Moreover, it is possible that therapeutic options utilized today for diabetes treatment may also have an effect on the risk for dementia. T2DM/IRBS contribute to pathological processes in AD and VaD. © 2017 Springer-Verlag GmbH Austri

An innovative fractal monopole MIMO antenna for modern 5G applications

Proposed in this paper is the design of an innovative and compact antenna array which based on four radiating elements for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) antenna applications used in 5G communication systems. The radiating elements are fractal curves excited using an open-circuited feedline through a coplanar waveguide (CPW). The feedline is electromagnetically coupled to the inside edge of the radiating element. The array’s impedance bandwidth is enhanced by inserting a ground structure composed of low–high-low impedance between the radiating elements. The low-impedance section of the ground is a staircase structure that is inclined at an angle to follow the input feedline. This inter-radiating element essentially suppresses near-field radiation between adjacent radiators. A band reject filter based on a composite right/left hand (CRLH) structure is mounted at the back side of the antenna array to reduce mutual coupling between the antenna elements by choking surface wave propagations that can otherwise degrade the radiation performance of the array antenna. The CRLH structure is based on the Hilbert fractal geometry, and it was designed to act like a stop band filter over the desired frequency bands. The proposed antenna array was fabricated and tested. It covers the frequency bands in the range from 2 to 3 GHz, 3.4–3.9 GHz, and 4.4–5.2 GHz. The array has a maximum gain of 6.2dBi at 3.8 GHz and coupling isolation better than -20 dB. The envelope correlation coefficient of the antenna array is within the acceptable limit. There is good agreement between the simulated and measured results

Chronic inflammation's transformation to cancer : a nanotherapeutic paradigm

The body’s normal immune response against any invading pathogen that causes infection in the body results in inflammation. The sudden transformation in inflammation leads to the rise of inflammatory diseases such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disorders, and colorectal cancer (different types of cancer develop at the site of chronic infection and inflammation). Inflammation results in two ways: short-term inflammation i.e., non-specific, involves the action of various immune cells; the other results in long-term reactions lasting for months or years. It is specific and causes angiogenesis, fibrosis, tissue destruction, and cancer progression at the site of inflammation. Cancer progression relies on the interaction between the host microenvironment and tumor cells along with the inflammatory responses, fibroblast, and vascular cells. The two pathways that have been identified connecting inflammation and cancer are the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Both have their own specific role in linking inflammation to cancer, involving various transcription factors such as Nuclear factor kappa B, Activator of transcription, Single transducer, and Hypoxia-inducible factor, which in turn regulates the inflammatory responses via Soluble mediators cytokines (such as Interleukin-6, Hematopoietin-1/Erythropoietin, and tumor necrosis factor), chemokines (such as Cyclooxygenase-2, C-X-C Motif chemokines ligand-8, and IL-8), inflammatory cells, cellular components (such as suppressor cells derived from myeloid, tumor-associated macrophage, and acidophils), and promotes tumorigenesis. The treatment of these chronic inflammatory diseases is challenging and needs early detection and diagnosis. Nanotechnology is a booming field nowadays for its rapid action and easy penetration inside the infected destined cells. Nanoparticles are widely classified into different categories based on their different factors and properties such as size, shape, cytotoxicity, and others. Nanoparticles emerged as excellent with highly progressive medical inventions to cure diseases such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, and others. Nanoparticles have shown higher binding capacity with the biomolecules in inflammation reduction and lowers the oxidative stress inside tissue/cells. In this review, we have overall discussed inflammatory pathways that link inflammation to cancer, major inflammatory diseases, and the potent action of nanoparticles in chronic inflammation-related diseases