Biomaterial-based ligand presentation to induce notch signaling in vitro

T cell adoptive transfer is an important procedure in immunotherapy. In immunocompromised patients, T cells may need to be developed from stem cells, requiring the induction of Notch signaling events responsible for native T cell differentiation in the thymus. Current methods to develop T cells in vitro fail to mimic the 3D thymic niche and are not mechanically tunable. In this study, we improve on these approaches with a 2D polymer system with controllable mechanical properties, and with a 3D system that more accurately mimics the thymic niche. 3D inverse opal poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGDA) scaffolds were fabricated with defined pores using poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres that are soluble in acetic acid, leaving negative space for cell growth. The PEGDA surface was made bioactive via biotinylation, followed by a streptavidin linker attaching biotinylated Notch ligand Delta-Like Ligand 4 (bDLL4). 2D polyacrylamide gels were prepared by sandwiching a pre-polymer droplet between two glass surfaces during redox initiation. Mechanical properties were modified by adjusting the concentrations of acrylamide and bisacrylamide. Gels were functionalized by immobilizing streptavidin via a SANPAH linker and binding bDLL4. After fabricating the systems and demonstrating their chemical and mechanical tunability, RT-PCR was used to detect Hes-1 expression, a downstream target of Notch, and flow cytometry was used to detect T cell differentiation levels following incubation of T cell progenitors with functionalized polymer systems. We show that a) the thymic niche can be effectively mimicked by synthetic systems, b) these systems effectively induce Notch signaling, and c) Notch signaling results in early T cell differentiation. These data are promising and suggest the potential to develop T cell banks from stem cells for the purposes of immunotherapy.Biochemistr

Rural buyers' perception about mosquito repellants

Mosquito repellants prevent mosquito bites and prevention of "man-mosquito contact" is a critical factor in transmission and spread of any disease through mosquitoes particularly in rural area. There has been a long standing 'bias' towards rural buyers. The rural markets are considered rigid in the nature but it is not the case in real sense. Marketing to rural buyers is not only a challenge to the marketers but to the manufacturers, communicators, national planners and economists as well. That is why it has been necessary to understand the various aspects of selected rural areas and consumption pattern for such a fast growing market i.e. mosquito repellants and rural buyers’ perception towards such urban products. The present paper aims to find out the factors influencing the purchase decisions of rural buyers for mosquito repellants and to study the perceptions of present and potential rural buyers' of selected mosquito repellant brands.mosquito, repellent, malaria, rural market, buyers

Overcoming Recession through Effective Business Communication Approaches (A Study in Indian Scenario)

No business activity can be completed without effective business communication network. The stage of economic turmoil is the most important time for any organization to regroup its strategy. At this juncture, strong, transparent and constant internal and external communication networks play a vital role. The global meltdown is a blessing in disguise for the organizations to invigorate their business communication network. The present paper aims to study multifarious approaches of Business Communication applied by Indian Organizations to combat the turbulent period of recession in a successful manner.

DEVELOPMENT OF AQUEOUS POLYMERIC DISPERSION (APD) OF EUDRAGIT E PO- PERFORMANCE CHARACTERIZATION FOR AQUEOUS BASED TASTE MASKING COATING SYSTEM

The present research work was performed to develop an Aqueous Polymeric Dispersions (APD) of Eudragit E PO using emulsification solvent evaporation technology including optimization of solvent, emulsifier & stabilizer. The basis rationale for the present research is to develop water based coating system over organic solvent based coating systems to achieve certain advantages over organic solvents with respect to ecological, toxicological and manufacturing safety concerns, including Pollution, Explosion hazards, Risk of operators, High cost of organic solvents, solvent toxicity and many more. The APD of Eudragit E PO was developed by emulsification solvent evaporation technology including optimization of Ethyl Acetate as solvent, 1%w/w SLS as emulsifier & 4% w/v Polaxomer F127 as stabilizer. The Concentration of Eudragit E PO was optimized as 15%w/v among three APD formulations F1-5%, F2-10% & F3-15% by optimizing Particle size, pH & Viscosity parameters. The optimized APD (F3-15%w/v APD) was characterized for different parameters viz. Average Particle Size by TEM & found 732 nm, pH by electrode pH meter & found 6.8 & viscocity by brook's field viscometer & found 0.6 Pascle. The  Optimized APD (F3-15%w/v APD) was characterized for any possible interactions by DSC & FT-IR spectra. Three different free films were prepared with three different plasticizer viz. di-butyl phthalate, propylene glycol and tri-ethyl-citrate to plasticize optimized aqueous polymeric dispersion of Eudragit EPO (F3-15%w/v APD). Tri-ethyl-citrate 30%w/v of dry polymer was optimized for the development of the free films from an optimized APD(F3). The optimized aqueous polymeric dispersion of Eudragit EPO (F3-15%w/v APD) was used for the performance characterization for taste masking coating properties of ofloxacin tablets. APD (F3-15%w/v APD) coated Ofloxacin tablets were comparatively evaluated with Eudragit E PO Organic solvent coated Ofloxacin tablets for different parameters viz. (a.) Physical- Hardness, Friability, Wt. Variation etc (b.) in-vitro dissolution profile- In Distilled water & Simulated Gastric Fluid (SGF) (c.) Biological- Taste masking.  The accelerated stability study of optimized APD (F3-15%w/v APD) was also performed for 30 days evaluated for Particle size, Viscosity & Redispersibility. It was concluded that the APD was stable at room temperature & unstable at 4-80C.Key Word: APD, Eudragit E PO, In vitro release study, TEM, FT-IR, DSC, Polaxomer F127

An empirical study on job prospects in BPO: Indian perspective

The gamut of globalization is far reaching and yielding rich dividends to the business activities of developing countries like India. The impact of information and technology is clearly visible in augmenting the growth of business. The business houses are more prone to meet the deadline of their set objectives. The evolution of Business Process Outsourcing is an indication of enabling the organizations to nurture the available knowledge and utilizing the resources at the optimum level. In India, BPO as a career option is growing in leaps and bounds. It is very revealing that so far the youth of rural areas have not identifying BPO as a lucrative career option. The present research study was conducted on 200 youth aspirants belonging to suburban and rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, the second largest state of India in terms of area. The data were analyzed and interpreted and significant results were obtained

Engineering New Approaches to Cancer Vaccines

available in PMC 2016 August 01Recently, a number of promising approaches have been developed using synthetic chemistry, materials science, and bioengineering-based strategies to address challenges in the design of more effective cancer vaccines. At the stage of initial priming, potency can be improved by maximizing vaccine delivery to lymph nodes. Because lymphatic uptake from peripheral tissues is strongly size dependent, antigens and adjuvants packaged into optimally sized nanoparticles access the lymph node with much greater efficiency than unformulated vaccines. Once primed, T cells must home to the tumor site. Because T cells acquire the necessary surface receptors in the local lymph node draining the tissue of interest, vaccines must be engineered that reach organs, such as the lung and gut, which are common sites of tumor lesions but inaccessible by traditional vaccination routes. Particulate vaccine carriers can improve antigen exposure in these organs, resulting in greater lymphocyte priming. Immunomodulatory agents can also be injected directly into the tumor site to stimulate a systemic response capable of clearing even distal lesions; materials have been designed that entrap or slowly release immunomodulators at the tumor site, reducing systemic exposure and improving therapeutic efficacy. Finally, lessons learned from the design of biomaterial-based scaffolds in regenerative medicine have led to the development of implantable vaccines that recruit and activate antigen-presenting cells to drive antitumor immunity. Overall, these engineering strategies represent an expanding toolkit to create safe and effective cancer vaccines.United States. National Institutes of Health (CA174795)United States. National Institutes of Health (CA172164

Sharpening Communication Skills of Engineering Students via Multifaceted Digital Tools: A Conceptual Framework

Communication Skills is of paramount importance in achieving personal as well as professional goals. Especially for engineering students learning, understanding and practice of Communication Skills appears to be imperative to excel in their respective academic, research and professional endeavors. For the teachers involve in teaching this subject there is ample opportunity to impact the process of learning through digital tools. Certainly, IT enabled tools may enable the learning process more interactive, live and conductive for the learners. Since, these tools will serve as learner centered tools to make classroom activities more interesting. At this backdrop, the present paper is an attempt to explore and study sharpening communication skills of engineering students via multifaceted digital tools

A cross-sectional survey of orthopaedicians to understand the prescribing pattern of disease modifying osteoarthritis drugs in osteoarthritis

Background: Numerous dietary supplements with disease-modifying action are available in Indian market. However, doctor’s preferences for these disease modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) to prevent progression of OA are not known. The objective of this study was to quantify doctor preferences for potential DMOADs.Methods: The survey instrument (online survey questionnaire at survey monkey) was developed by researchers upon review of existing literature and detailed discussion with practicing clinicians. Face and content validity and reliability (test-retest method) was assessed through a focused panel of clinicians to determine if content was adequate to obtain the necessary data. This was a cross-sectional digital survey of 207 orthopaedicians during Indian Orthopaedic Association Conference-2018 organized at Coimbatore.Results: NSAIDs + DMOAD combinations were the most preferred treatment option for newly diagnosed OA patients. 44% orthopaedicians prefer to start the treatment with combination of NSAID and DMOAD as compared to 10% with paracetamol monotherapy. Glucosamine/chondroitin combinations are the most commonly preferred DMOAD by the orthopaedicians; followed by undenatured type II collagen. 66% of the doctors surveyed opined that the efficacy of undenatured type-II collagen is better as compared to other DMOADs.Conclusions:The findings from the survey suggest that majority of orthopaedicians prefer to prescribe NSAID with DMOAD combinations for newly diagnosed osteoarthritis patients.

Delivery and Evaluation of Participatory Education for Animal Keepers Led by Veterinarians and Para-Veterinarians around the Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India.

<div><p>Aim</p><p>We aim to investigate local perceptions of animal health challenges; current animal health knowledge; and methods to provide effective, relevant education to animal keepers in the Kanha Tiger Reserve area.</p><p>Materials and methods</p><p>A farmer education programme was undertaken in the Kanha Tiger Reserve area. Local animal health priorities were investigated through participatory village meetings (n = 38), individual animal keeper questionnaires (n = 100) and a written survey of local paravets (n = 16). Educational interventions were: veterinary surgeon led education meeting (VE); paravet led education meeting (PVE); distribution of printed materials (PM). 230 village meetings were carried out across 181 villages, contacting 3791 animal keepers. 20 villages received printed materials. Information was gathered on perceptions of local animal health challenges and current remedies. Efficacy of knowledge transfer was assessed four to five months later using a purposeful sample of 38 villages.</p><p>Results</p><p>Group meetings identified ticks (35/38), foot and mouth disease (FMD) (31/38) and diarrhoea (30/38) as the greatest animal health challenges. Individual interviews identified haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) (87/100), blackquarter (BQ) (66/100) and plastic ingestion (31/100). Paravets identified FMD (7/16), BQ (6/16) and HS (6/16), and also indicated that animal husbandry and socio-economic factors were important. Current treatments were primarily home remedies and herbalism, but also included contacting a paravet, use of pharmaceuticals and faith healing. Animal treatment knowledge prior to intervention was not significantly different between groups (P = 0.868). Following intervention animal health knowledge was assessed: PVE performed better than controls (P = 0.001) and PM (P = 0.003); VE performed better than controls (P = 0.009). There was no significant difference between VE and PVE (P = 0.666) nor PM and controls (P = 0.060).</p><p>Conclusions and recommendations</p><p>Open access participatory village meetings are an effective way to provide animal health education. In this region distribution of posters and leaflets did not appear to be an effective way to contact animal keepers. Meetings led by paravets can be as effective as those led by veterinarians and paravets can rapidly and sustainably contact large numbers of animal keepers. Investigation of the local animal health situation is essential to ensure education is relevant and accessible to intended recipients. Interventions must be carefully planned to maximise engagement of all sections of the community, particularly women.</p></div

Strong Enrichment of Aromatic Residues in Binding Sites from a Charge-neutralized Hyperthermostable Sso7d Scaffold Library

The Sso7d protein from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus is an attractive binding scaffold because of its small size (7 kDa), high thermal stability (Tm of 98 °C), and absence of cysteines and glycosylation sites. However, as a DNA-binding protein, Sso7d is highly positively charged, introducing a strong specificity constraint for binding epitopes and leading to nonspecific interaction with mammalian cell membranes. In the present study, we report charge-neutralized variants of Sso7d that maintain high thermal stability. Yeast-displayed libraries that were based on this reduced charge Sso7d (rcSso7d) scaffold yielded binders with low nanomolar affinities against mouse serum albumin and several epitopes on human epidermal growth factor receptor. Importantly, starting from a charge-neutralized scaffold facilitated evolutionary adaptation of binders to differentially charged epitopes on mouse serum albumin and human epidermal growth factor receptor, respectively. Interestingly, the distribution of amino acids in the small and rigid binding surface of enriched rcSso7d-based binders is very different from that generally found in more flexible antibody complementarity-determining region loops but resembles the composition of antibody-binding energetic hot spots. Particularly striking was a strong enrichment of the aromatic residues Trp, Tyr, and Phe in rcSso7d-based binders. This suggests that the rigidity and small size of this scaffold determines the unusual amino acid composition of its binding sites, mimicking the energetic core of antibody paratopes. Despite the high frequency of aromatic residues, these rcSso7d-based binders are highly expressed, thermostable, and monomeric, suggesting that the hyperstability of the starting scaffold and the rigidness of the binding surface confer a high tolerance to mutation.United States. National Institutes of Health (CA174795)United States. National Institutes of Health (CA96504