Core Gene Expression and Association of Genotypes with Viral Load in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) - Infected Patients in Punjab, Pakistan

Purpose: To determine genotypic distribution, ribonucleic acid (RNA) RNA viral load and express core gene from Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infected patients in Punjab, Pakistan.Methods: A total of 1690 HCV RNA positive patients were included in the study. HCV genotyping was tested by type-specific genotyping assay, viral load, by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and HCV core protein was expressed in E. coli. Antigenicity of core protein was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA).Results: Out of total 1690 serum samples, type-specific PCR fragments were observed in 1482 (87.69 %) of the samples. In both genders, genotype 3a (55.44 %) was most prevalent followed by 3b (15.03 %), 1a (6.98 %) and 1b (3.14 %). Regionally, genotype 3a occurred most frequently in Jaranwala (59.72 %). Patients infected with genotype 3 had pre-treatment viral load values of 52.56, 15.79 and 31.65 %, while patients infected by other genotypes showed viral load values of 13.43, 35.27 and 51.3 % for low, intermediate and high categories of viral load, respectively. ELISA showed that core protein possessed greater antigenicity.Conclusion: HCV genotype 3a is the most prevalent genotype in Punjab, although the distribution of HCV genotypes in eight cities of Punjab was not uniform. HCV core protein used to develop local screening assays may be more effective than current commercial assays.Keywords: Hepatitis C, Antigenicity, Genotyping, Viral load, Core gen

Identification of two novel powdery mildew resistance loci, Ren6 and Ren7, from the wild Chinese grape species Vitis piasezkii

Descriptive statistics of the phenotypic scores within the base mapping population 11-373. Powdery mildew symptoms in the field were evaluated in two subsequent years. Greenhouse, in vitro experiments and the qPCR-based molecular assay were carried out with three to four biological replicates of each seedling plant in 2014. (DOCX 14ย�kb

Screening of systemic fungicides and biochemicals against seed borne mycoflora associated with Momordica charantia

Study of seed borne fungi associated with bitter gourd seeds were conducted under in vitro condition in Department of Plant Pathology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. Two hundred (200) seed samples of Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) were collected from southern regions of Punjab province (Multan, Khanewal and Bahawalpur). Six fungal species were isolated out of which Aspergillus flavus showed highest percentage that is, 27.3% followed by Rhizopus stolonifer 17.98%, Alternaria alternata 13.34%, Aspergillus niger 5.23%, Myrothecium roridum 7.37% and Fusarium solani 6.69%. More number of fungi was observed by using blotter paper technique when compared with agar plate method. Of the three systemic fungicides used include ridomil gold MZ, bavistin, and score; and two low cost chemicals such as salicylic acid and boric acid. Ridomil gold MZ gave good results at all concentrations (20, 30 and 40 mg/10 ml) against all the isolated fungi compared with other fungicides. Salicyclic acid gave the best results against isolated fungi compared to boric acid.Key words: Myrothecium roridum, bitter gourd, salicyclic acid, southern Punjab, bavistin, Pakistan

Chromium removal from aqueous solution by a PEI-silica nanocomposite

It is essential and important to determine the adsorption mechanism as well as removal efficiency when using an adsorption technique to remove toxic heavy metals from wastewater. In this research, the removal efficiency and mechanism of chromium removal by a silica-based nanoparticle were investigated. A PEI-silica nanoparticle was synthesized by a one-pot technique and exhibited uniformly well-dispersed PEI polymers in silica particles. The adsorption capacity of chromium ions was determined by a batch adsorption test, with the PEI-silica nanoparticle having a value of 183.7 mg/g and monolayer sorption. Adsorption of chromium ions was affected by the solution pH and altered the nanoparticle surface chemically. First principles calculations of the adsorption energies for the relevant adsorption configurations and XPS peaks of Cr and N showed that Cr(VI), [HCrO4](-) is reduced to two species, Cr(III), CrOH2+ and Cr3+, by an amine group and that Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions are adsorbed on different functional groups, oxidized N and NH3+

Breath of impact: Unveiling the dynamics of exhalation-driven deposition of polydisperse particles in lung across varied physical activities

Continuous deposition of workplace pollutant particles on lung airways during respiratory actions seriously threatens the lung health of persons performing tasks in polluted environments. This study aims to analyze the exhalation-driven deposition of fine and coarse occupational pollutant particles in polydisperse form. Computer simulations are conducted to study the patterns of deposition of grain dust, coal fly ash, and bituminous coal particles. Key findings include the observation of early emergence of secondary flows in the real model, a notable shift in deposition patterns towards the post-bifurcation zones, and influence of physical activity intensity on particle deposition. Additionally, deposition primarily occurs near cranial ridge during inhalation, while exhalation leads to deposition in pre- and post-bifurcation zones. PM2.5 deposition is minimal and random in idealized model but becomes more significant and consistent in real model. This research underscores the increased risk of lung diseases for workers in polluted environments during vigorous activity

Application of heliox for optimized drug delivery through respiratory tract

Understanding the transportation and deposition (TD) of inhaled particles in the upper respiratory tract is crucial for predicting health risks and treating pulmonary diseases. The available literature reports highly turbulent flow in the extrathoracic (ET) region during normal breathing, which leads to higher deposition of the drug aerosol in this region. To improve the targeted deposition of inhaled drugs, in the tracheobronchial airways, it is essential to understand the flow and particle transport dynamics and reduce the turbulence behavior at the ET region. The less-dense heliox gas could reduce the turbulence behavior at the ET; however, the knowledge of heliox inhalation therapies in drug aerosol TD remains underachieved to realize the full potential for assisted breathing and drug delivery. Additionally, the impact of the inhalation of heliox mixed with other gases on particle deposition is missing in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to develop a mixture model to advance the knowledge of inhalation therapy. A heliox (78% helium and 22% oxygen) and a mixture of heliox and air are used to understand the flow behavior and particle TD in airways. The impact of different inhalation and Stokes numbers on the deposition efficiencies in the ideal and age-specific upper airways is studied. The study reports that less-dense heliox gas has lower turbulence intensity and results in lower deposition efficiency in the G3–G5 lung airways compared to air and mixture inhalations. Moreover, slightly higher deposition efficiencies during mixture inhalation as compared to air inhalation are found in the upper airways. The deposition patterns of different inhalations obtained in this study could help improve targeted drug delivery into the upper and deeper lung airways.</jats:p

An EMT-Driven Alternative Splicing Program Occurs in Human Breast Cancer and Modulates Cellular Phenotype

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a mechanism important for embryonic development, plays a critical role during malignant transformation. While much is known about transcriptional regulation of EMT, alternative splicing of several genes has also been correlated with EMT progression, but the extent of splicing changes and their contributions to the morphological conversion accompanying EMT have not been investigated comprehensively. Using an established cell culture model and RNA–Seq analyses, we determined an alternative splicing signature for EMT. Genes encoding key drivers of EMT–dependent changes in cell phenotype, such as actin cytoskeleton remodeling, regulation of cell–cell junction formation, and regulation of cell migration, were enriched among EMT–associated alternatively splicing events. Our analysis suggested that most EMT–associated alternative splicing events are regulated by one or more members of the RBFOX, MBNL, CELF, hnRNP, or ESRP classes of splicing factors. The EMT alternative splicing signature was confirmed in human breast cancer cell lines, which could be classified into basal and luminal subtypes based exclusively on their EMT–associated splicing pattern. Expression of EMT–associated alternative mRNA transcripts was also observed in primary breast cancer samples, indicating that EMT–dependent splicing changes occur commonly in human tumors. The functional significance of EMT–associated alternative splicing was tested by expression of the epithelial-specific splicing factor ESRP1 or by depletion of RBFOX2 in mesenchymal cells, both of which elicited significant changes in cell morphology and motility towards an epithelial phenotype, suggesting that splicing regulation alone can drive critical aspects of EMT–associated phenotypic changes. The molecular description obtained here may aid in the development of new diagnostic and prognostic markers for analysis of breast cancer progression.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01-HG002439)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (equipment grant)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Integrative Cancer Biology Program Grant U54-CA112967)David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT (Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research)David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology (Croucher Scholarship)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ludwig Fund postdoctoral fellowship)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH CA100324)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AECC9526-5267

Breathing in danger: Mapping microplastic migration in the human respiratory system

The abundance of air pollutants over the last few years, including the concentration of microplastics, has become an alarming concern across the world. Initially discovered in marine life, these toxic and inflammatory particles have recently been found in human lung tissues. When inhaled, these harmful particles settle down in the lung airways and, over time, lead to respiratory failures. A recent study analyzed the microplastic transport behavior in the mouth–throat airways. However, the knowledge of the microplastic migration in bifurcating tracheobronchial airways is missing in the literature. Therefore, this first-ever study analyzes in detail the transport behavior and settling patterns of microplastic particles of different sizes and shapes at different respiratory intensities in the tracheobronchial lung airways. A numerical technique based on discrete phase modeling is employed to simulate the flow of microplastic particles in a three-dimensional realistic lung geometry. The numerical model results indicate low velocity and turbulence intensity magnitudes with smooth flow in the trachea compared to the airways of left and right lobes, which experience higher velocities and generate secondary vortices. Lower lung lobes are the deposition hotspots for the harmful microplastic particles at a lower flow rate. These hotspots shift to upper lung lobes at a higher flow rate for the same particle size. Moreover, microplastic particle size and shape influence the overall deposition rate in the tracheobronchial lung airways. The results of the current study, including microplastic accumulation regions at different breathing intensities, will contribute to the updated knowledge of pollutant inhalation and facilitate relevant treatment measures.</jats:p

Orientation Independent Chipless RFID Tag Using Novel Trefoil Resonators

In this paper, a compact and fully passive bit encoding circuit, capable of operating as a chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is presented. The structure consists of novel concentric trefoil-shaped slot resonators realized using Rogers RT/duroid (R) 5880 laminate, occupying a physical footprint of 13.55 x 13.55 mm(2). Each resonating element is associated with a particular data bit, having a 1:1 resonator-to-bit correspondence. Bit sequences are configured through introducing modifications in the geometric structure either by addition or exclusion of each nested slot resonator. Such changes manifest directly in the electromagnetic signature of the tag as presence or absence of corresponding resonant peaks. The proposed 10-bit tag offers minimized inter-resonator mutual coupling and insensitivity to changes in polarization and incident angles thereby demonstrating orientation independent functionality. Moreover, error-free encoding is achieved through stabilizing the shift in resonant frequencies for a variety of different geometric configurations and orientation of the structure. The tag operates within the license-free ultrawideband ranging from 5.4 to 10.4 GHz, providing spectral bit capacity and bit density of 2 bits/GHz and 5.44 bits/cm(2) respectively

An Integrated Antenna System for 4G and Millimeter-Wave 5G Future Handheld Devices

In this work, an integrated antenna system with Defected Ground Structure (DGS) is presented for Fourth Generation (4G) and millimeter (mm)-wave Fifth Generation (5G) wireless applications and handheld devices. The proposed design with overall dimensions of 110 mm x 75 mm is modeled on 0.508 mm thick Rogers RT/Duroid 5880 substrate. Radiating structure consists of antenna arrays excited by the T-shape 1 x 2 power divider/combiner. Dual bands for 4G centered at 3.8 GHz and 5.5 GHz are attained, whereas the 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 24.4 - 29.3 GHz is achieved for the 5G antenna array. In addition, a peak gain of 5.41 dBi is demonstrated across the operating bandwidth of the 4G antenna array. Similarly, for the 5G mm-wave configuration the attained peak gain is 10.29 dBi. Moreover, significant isolation is obtained between the two antenna modules ensuring efficient dual-frequency band operation using a single integrated solution. To endorse the concept, antenna prototype is fabricated and far-field measurements are procured. Simulated and measured results exhibit coherence. Also the proposed design is investigated for the beam steering capability of the mm-wave 5G antenna array using CST(R)MWS(R). The demonstrated structure offers various advantages including compactness, wide bandwidth, high gain, and planar configuration. Hence, the attained radiation characteristics prove the suitability of the proposed design for the current and future wireless handheld devices