Formulation and stability of topical water in oil emulsion containing corn silk extract

Purpose: To formulate the water in oil (W/O) emulsion of corn silk (CS) extract and to evaluate its stability at various storage conditions.Methods: Ethanol CS extract was prepared using maceration (cold) technique. A 4 % CS emulsion was prepared using varying concentrations of liquid paraffin, ABIL EM90 and water. The formulations were kept at 25 oC for 28 days and to screen out the less stable formulations. The remaining formulations were further stressed at 40 oC to choose the most stable formulation. The optimized formulation was evaluated for physical characteristics including phase separation, rheology and mean droplet size. The physical stability of the formulation was evaluated by monitoring these parameters over a period of 12 weeks at 8, 25, 40 and 40 oC, and 75 % RH.Results: The chosen formulation showed good resistance to phase separation on centrifugation under all storage conditions. Rheological behavior followed non-Newtonian pseudoplastic pattern at various storage conditions. Mean droplet size of freshly prepared formulation was 2.98 ± 1.32 μm and did not show significant (p < 0.05) changes at normal storage conditions (8 and 25 oC).Conclusion: The findings indicate that the developed CS extract W/O emulsion is stable and therefore may be suitable for topical use on skin as an antioxidant preparation.Keywords: Corn silk, Emulsion, Nonionic surfactant, Rheology, Flow index, Droplet size, Non-Newtonian pseudoplasti

Analysis and Design of Secure Sampled-Data Control Subject to Denial-of-Service Attacks

This study addresses the issue of secure control design for cyber-physical systems (CPS) against denial of service (DoS) attacks. We take into account a continuous-time linear system with a convex quadratic performance measure and a sampled linear state feedback control. DoS attacks impose constraints on the CPS, where packets may be jammed between the sensor and controller by a malicious entity, potentially resulting in system instability and performance degradation. We assume that the attacker can perform DoS attacks with a limited time and frequency due to energy restrictions. We devise an efficient procedure using the linear matrix inequality approach to compute an upper bound on the performance degradation brought on by the DoS attack. We also propose a redesign of the controller to minimize this performance degradation. Finally, a simulation example illustrates the computation of the performance degradation under a bounded DoS attack and the design of a secure controller. Simulation results show that the designed controller effectively keeps the feedback loop’s performance and stability under attack

Recent novel tumor gatekeepers and potential therapeutic approaches (2017)

Tumor remains a challenging task for oncology community. Drug resistance due to chemotherapy remain principal impediments  toward potential therapeutic strategies. Development of novel anti-cancer drugs or new targeted strategies to conquer drug  resistance is a key goal of cancer research. In this respect, novel tumor gatekeepers and innovative targeted strategies can be  helpful in overcoming drug resistance as well as improve currently used targeted therapies. In this review, efforts have been made to present some of the latest knowledge about novel tumor gatekeepers and new therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of  chemotherapy and give new hope to cancer patients to fight against cancer.Keywords: Cancer, Potent inhibitors, Gatekeepers, Therapeutic approaches, Oncogenic pathway

Barriers to access of healthcare services for rural women – Applying gender lens on TB in a rural district of Sindh, Pakistan

Background: Women in rural districts of Pakistan face numerous barriers to healthcare, rendering gender-responsive health programming important, including for Tuberculosis (TB). This study was conducted to assess the general understanding of TB and of access to healthcare for women, as a first step towards implementation of a gender responsive TB programme in TandoAllayar, a rural district of Pakistan.Methods: A total of 36 participants were interviewed. The focus group discussion guide comprised of questions on: (1) family/household dynamics (2) community norms (3) healthcare system (4) women’s access to healthcare (5) TB Awareness;, and (6) women’s access to TB Care.Results: Limited autonomy in household financial decision-making, disapproval of unassisted travel, long travel time, lack of prioritization of spending on women’s health and inadequate presence of female health providers, were identified as barriers to access of healthcare for women, higher in younger women. Facilitators to access of TB care included a reported lack of TB-related stigma, moderate knowledge about TB disease, and broad understanding of tuberculosis as a curable disease. Other suggested facilitators include health facilities closer to the villages and the availability of higher quality services.Conclusion: Significant barriers are faced by women in access to TB care in rural districts of Pakistan. Programme implementers in high burden countries, should shift towards improved gender-responsive TB programming

In silico Prediction and Validations of Domains Involved in Gossypium hirsutum SnRK1 Protein Interaction With Cotton Leaf Curl Multan Betasatellite Encoded βC1

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) caused by viruses of genus Begomovirus is a major constraint to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production in many cotton-growing regions of the world. Symptoms of the disease are caused by Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB) that encodes a pathogenicity determinant protein, βC1. Here, we report the identification of interacting regions in βC1 protein by using computational approaches including sequence recognition, and binding site and interface prediction methods. We show the domain-level interactions based on the structural analysis of G. hirsutum SnRK1 protein and its domains with CLCuMB-βC1. To verify and validate the in silico predictions, three different experimental approaches, yeast two hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation and pull down assay were used. Our results showed that ubiquitin-associated domain (UBA) and autoinhibitory sequence (AIS) domains of G. hirsutum-encoded SnRK1 are involved in CLCuMB-βC1 interaction. This is the first comprehensive investigation that combined in silico interaction prediction followed by experimental validation of interaction between CLCuMB-βC1 and a host protein. We demonstrated that data from computational biology could provide binding site information between CLCuD-associated viruses/satellites and new hosts that lack known binding site information for protein–protein interaction studies. Implications of these findings are discussed

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

βC1, pathogenicity determinant encoded by Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite, interacts with calmodulin-like protein 11 (Gh-CML11) in Gossypium hirsutum.

Begomoviruses interfere with host plant machinery to evade host defense mechanism by interacting with plant proteins. In the old world, this group of viruses are usually associated with betasatellite that induces severe disease symptoms by encoding a protein, βC1, which is a pathogenicity determinant. Here, we show that βC1 encoded by Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB) requires Gossypium hirsutum calmodulin-like protein 11 (Gh-CML11) to infect cotton. First, we used the in silico approach to predict the interaction of CLCuMB-βC1 with Gh-CML11. A number of sequence- and structure-based in-silico interaction prediction techniques suggested a strong putative binding of CLCuMB-βC1 with Gh-CML11 in a Ca+2-dependent manner. In-silico interaction prediction was then confirmed by three different experimental approaches: The Gh-CML11 interaction was confirmed using CLCuMB-βC1 in a yeast two hybrid system and pull down assay. These results were further validated using bimolecular fluorescence complementation system showing the interaction in cytoplasmic veins of Nicotiana benthamiana. Bioinformatics and molecular studies suggested that CLCuMB-βC1 induces the overexpression of Gh-CML11 protein and ultimately provides calcium as a nutrient source for virus movement and transmission. This is the first comprehensive study on the interaction between CLCuMB-βC1 and Gh-CML11 proteins which provided insights into our understating of the role of βC1 in cotton leaf curl disease