Counter Chemotactic Flow in Quasi-One-Dimensional Path

Quasi-one-dimensional bidirectional particle flow including the effect of chemotaxis is investigated through a modification of the John-Schadschneider-Chowdhury-Nishinari model. Specifically, we permit multiple lanes to be shared by both directionally traveling particles. The relation between particle density and flux is studied for several evaporation rates of pheromone, and the following results are obtained: i) in the low-particle-density range, the flux is enlarged by pheromone if the pheromone evaporation rate is sufficiently low, ii) in the high particle-density range, the flux is largest at a reasonably high evaporation rate and, iii) if the evaporation rate is at the level intermediate between the above two cases, the flux is kept small in the entire range of particle densities. The mechanism of these behaviors is investigated by observing the spatial-temporal evolution of particles and the average cluster size in the system.Comment: 4 pages, 9 figure

Effects of non-universal large scales on conditional structure functions in turbulence

We report measurements of conditional Eulerian and Lagrangian structure functions in order to assess the effects of non-universal properties of the large scales on the small scales in turbulence. We study a 1m $\times$ 1m $\times$ 1.5m flow between oscillating grids which produces $R_\lambda=285$ while containing regions of nearly homogeneous and highly inhomogeneous turbulence. Large data sets of three-dimensional tracer particle velocities have been collected using stereoscopic high speed cameras with real-time image compression technology. Eulerian and Lagrangian structure functions are measured in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous regions of the flow. We condition the structure functions on the instantaneous large scale velocity or on the grid phase. At all scales, the structure functions depend strongly on the large scale velocity, but are independent of the grid phase. We see clear signatures of inhomogeneity near the oscillating grids, but even in the homogeneous region in the center we see a surprisingly strong dependence on the large scale velocity that remains at all scales. Previous work has shown that similar correlations extend to very high Reynolds numbers. Comprehensive measurements of these effects in a laboratory flow provide a powerful tool for assessing the effects of shear, inhomogeneity and intermittency of the large scales on the small scales in turbulence

Important chemical structural features of curcumin and its derivatives: How do they influence their anticancer activity?

Curcumin is the active component of the Indian spice turmeric, known since ancient times for medicinal properties. Extensive research in the last two to three decades has confirmed its promising pharmacological properties such as anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory etc., leading to several ongoing/completed clinical trials. Curcumin has three reactive functional groups: one diketone moiety, and two phenolic groups. Curcumin interacts with several biomolecules through non-covalent and covalent binding. However, the properties limiting its potential are low bioavailability and fast degradation. The metabolites as well as degradation products of curcumin show biological activities but not as much as curcumin. To overcome these limitations, new analogues with modifications on both o-methoxy group and the diketo structures of curcumin have been developed. Of several analogues, dimethyl curcumin, where the phenolic OH is absent showed better anti-tumor activity. Also, the isoxazole and pyrazole derivatives of curcumin, derivatized at the diketo moiety have been investigated in our group. Hispolon, which is a half curcumin analogue also showed interesting cellular activity. Here in the present manuscript, the comparative cytotoxic effect of curcumin and some of these derivatives in cancer cells is presented. The results indicated that specific structural modifications on curcumin can be adopted to fine-tune its desired anticancer activity

Important chemical structural features of curcumin and its derivatives: How do they influence their anticancer activity?

228-235Curcumin is the active component of the Indian spice turmeric, known since ancient times for medicinal properties. Extensive research in the last two to three decades has confirmed its promising pharmacological properties such as anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory etc., leading to several ongoing/completed clinical trials. Curcumin has three reactive functional groups: one diketone moiety, and two phenolic groups. Curcumin interacts with several biomolecules through non-covalent and covalent binding. However, the properties limiting its potential are low bioavailability and fast degradation. The metabolites as well as degradation products of curcumin show biological activities but not as much as curcumin. To overcome these limitations, new analogues with modifications on both o-methoxy group and the diketo structures of curcumin have been developed. Of several analogues, dimethyl curcumin, where the phenolic OH is absent showed better anti-tumor activity. Also, the isoxazole and pyrazole derivatives of curcumin, derivatized at the diketo moiety have been investigated in our group. Hispolon, which is a half curcumin analogue also showed interesting cellular activity. Here in the present manuscript, the comparative cytotoxic effect of curcumin and some of these derivatives in cancer cells is presented. The results indicated that specific structural modifications on curcumin can be adopted to fine-tune its desired anticancer activity

Dynamic instability of microtubules: effect of catastrophe-suppressing drugs

Microtubules are stiff filamentary proteins that constitute an important component of the cytoskeleton of cells. These are known to exhibit a dynamic instability. A steadily growing microtubule can suddenly start depolymerizing very rapidly; this phenomenon is known as ``catastrophe''. However, often a shrinking microtubule is ``rescued'' and starts polymerizing again. Here we develope a model for the polymerization-depolymerization dynamics of microtubules in the presence of {\it catastrophe-suppressing drugs}. Solving the dynamical equations in the steady-state, we derive exact analytical expressions for the length distributions of the microtubules tipped with drug-bound tubulin subunits as well as those of the microtubules, in the growing and shrinking phases, tipped with drug-free pure tubulin subunits. We also examine the stability of the steady-state solutions.Comment: Minor corrections; final published versio

Ultrasound-based techniques as alternative treatments for chronic wounds: A comprehensive review of clinical applications

Ultrasound (US) waves have been recently developed for the treatment of different chronic wounds with promising therapeutic outcomes. However, the clinical efficacy of these techniques is still not fully understood and standard guidelines on dose ranges and possible side effects should be determined. This paper aims to comprehensively review the recent advances in US techniques for chronic wound treatment, their therapeutic efficacies, and clinical considerations and challenges. The databases of PubMed (1985-2017), EMBASE (1985-2017), Web of Sciences (1985-2017), Cochrane central library (1990-2017), and Google Scholar (1980-2017) were searched using the set terms. The obtained results were screened for the title and abstract by two authors and the relevant papers were reviewed for further details. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown strong evidence on the therapeutic efficiency of US in chronic wounds. The main limitation on developing clinical standard protocols of US for treatment of wounds is the lack of definite dose-response for each wound. However, spatial average temporal average is the main parameter for defining US dosage in wound treatment. The range of 0.5 to 3 W/cm2 is a range of dose exerting significant therapeutic outcomes and minimum adverse effects. Low-frequency US waves can accelerate the healing speed of open wounds as well as deep-tissue injuries. In addition, US waves show promising therapeutic efficacy for chronic wounds. To develop clinical US protocol for each wound type, further in vitro and in vivo preclinical and clinical trials are needed to reach an exact dose-response for each wound type

Selenium, a micronutrient can modulate viral diseases including COVID-19

713-723Selenium, a micronutrient is reported to play a very important role in fighting bacterial and viral infections. Selenium exerts its effects through incorporation into selenoproteins that are crucial for providing antioxidant defense and maintaining redox homeostasis. The deficiency of selenium in the diet leads to impaired immune response and increased pathogenesis of viral diseases. On the other hand, supplementation with selenium has been shown to be very effective in reducing infections and mortality against many pathogenic RNA viruses. This has encouraged researchers across the world to examine the role of selenium (if any) in the susceptibility and/or severity of the recent outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Some of the emerging findings along with the future scope of research on using selenium for management of viral infections including COVID-19 are discussed

Dental Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude among the Medical Practitioners in Pokhara, Nepal

Introduction: Oral health is a window to our overall health. Negligence to oral health might have adverse effects on the general well being of a person. Hence, early detection and prompt treatment is of utmost importance. Lack of general medical practitioner’s knowledge of oral disease has been shown to contribute to delays in referral and treatment, thus significantly affecting the associated morbidity and mortality. Methods: The present study was undertaken to assess knowledge, attitude and dental awareness among medical practitioners in Pokhara, Nepal. A list of medical practitioners was obtained from the NMA (Nepal Medical Association, Gandaki branch, Nepal) and sample size of 109 study subjects was calculated. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the medical practitioners. from March 2018 to April 2018. The data pertaining to their knowledge, attitude and awareness about oral health was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Results of the study showed that the medical practitioners had moderate to good knowledge about dentistry as 97.2% of the medical practitioners answered correctly saying that brushing tooth daily prevents tooth decay and periodontal disease Whereas, when asked about the changes in the oral cavity which most commonly is associated with progression towards oral cancer, only 46.8% answered correctly by responding to non-healing ulcer/ erosive lesions. Conclusions: It is imperative that the dental/medical practitioners have good knowledge about the oral diseases and its systemic manifestations, so as to have timely referral and early treatment to prevent the associated morbidity and mortality

Selenium, a micronutrient can modulate viral diseases including COVID-19

Selenium, a micronutrient is reported to play a very important role in fighting bacterial and viral infections. Selenium exerts its effects through incorporation into selenoproteins that are crucial for providing antioxidant defense and maintaining redox homeostasis. The deficiency of selenium in the diet leads to impaired immune response and increased pathogenesis of viral diseases. On the other hand, supplementation with selenium has been shown to be very effective in reducing infections and mortality against many pathogenic RNA viruses. This has encouraged researchers across the world to examine the role of selenium (if any) in the susceptibility and/or severity of the recent outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Some of the emerging findings along with the future scope of research on using selenium for management of viral infections including COVID-19 are discussed