Binding studies of E-Cadherin peptides to the EC1 domain of E-Cadherin

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a key role in delivering medication to the brain; if the drug molecules can overcome this obstacle, many brain diseases (i.e., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and brain tumor) can be effectively treated. E-cadherin is important in forming cell-cell adhesion in intercellular junctions of the biological barriers (i.e., intestinal mucosa and BBB). Cadherin peptides (HAV6 and ADTC5) have been shown to modulate the BBB in the cell culture and in in-situ rat brain perfusion models. The hypothesis is that cadherin peptides modulate the tight junctions of the BBB by binding to the EC1 domain of E-cadherin. Thus, the objective of this project is to determine the dissociation constants (Kds) of linear and cyclic cadherin peptides (i.e., HAV- and ADT-peptides) to the expressed EC1 domain of E-cadherin using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The data show that the cyclic HAVc3 peptide (Kd = 66.7±18.0 nM) has better binding property to the EC1 domain than the linear HAV6 peptide (Kd = 120.1±11.9 nM). Cyclic ADTC5 (Kd = 50.2± 11 nM) has lower dissociation constant than ADTC1 (Kd = 119.7± 16 nM). Mutation of the valine residue in ADTC5 to glutamic acid (ADTC7; Kd = 0.43± 0.050 nM) and threonine (ADTC8; Kd = 0.45±0.012) makes the peptides to have 100-fold tighter binding compared to the EC1 domain. Mutation of the valine residue in ADTC5 to a tyrosine residue (ADTC9; Kd = 0.038± 0.009) increases binding to the EC1 domain by 1000-fold. Finally, mutation of the valine residue to arginine demolishes the activity of ADTC10. In the future, the activity of ADTC9 to modulate the BBB will be compared to ADTC5 in in vitro and in vivo models of the BBB

Obstructive Jaundice Caused by Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Ampulla of Vater in a Young Adult: A Case Report

Introduction: Ampullary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are usually diagnosed in the 5th–6th decades of life, and no cases were reported in <20 years of age. We report a rare case, presenting at a very young age, of well-differentiated NET involving the ampulla of Vater with lymph node metastasis. Case Presentation: An 18-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of upper abdominal pain and jaundice. Abdominal ultrasound showed a dilated common bile duct, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed two duodenal polypoid lesions, one of them overlying the ampulla of Vater, with an erythematous and ulcerated surface. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of NET grade 1. Octreotide scan revealed 2 para-aortic lymph nodes with intense radiotracer uptake. The patient had undergone Whipple surgery with para-aortic lymph node dissection. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimens was confirmatory of NET grade 2 and paraganglioma in a few of the dissected lymph nodes. Postoperatively, the patient was kept on monthly intramuscular octreotide. Follow-up gallium-68 DOTATATE is unremarkable apart from an avid left para-aortic lymph node which is showing stability over 12 months of follow-up. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that NETs of the ampulla of Vater can present at a very young age. Radical surgical excision with extended lymph node dissection and postoperative octreotide is associated with better patient outcomes and survival

An Effective Wireless Sensor Network Routing Protocol Based on Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Improving wireless communication and artificial intelligence technologies by using Internet of Things (Itoh) paradigm has been contributed in developing a wide range of different applications. However, the exponential growth of smart phones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is becoming an emerging challenge that adds some limitations on Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. End-to-end latency, energy consumption, and packet loss during transmission are the main QoS requirements that could be affected by increasing the number of IoT applications connected through WSNs. To address these limitations, an effective routing protocol needs to be designed for boosting the performance of WSNs and QoS metrics. In this paper, an optimization approach using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed to develop a multipath protocol, called a Particle Swarm Optimization Routing Protocol (MPSORP). The MPSORP is used for WSN-based IoT applications with a large volume of traffic loads and unfairness in network flow. For evaluating the developed protocol, an experiment is conducted using NS-2 simulator with different configurations and parameters. Furthermore, the performance of MPSORP is compared with AODV and DSDV routing protocols. The experimental results of this comparison demonstrated that the proposed approach achieves several advantages such as saving energy, low end-to-end delay, high packet delivery ratio, high throughput, and low normalization load.publishedVersio

Nanotechnology integration for sars-cov-2 diagnosis and treatment: An approach to preventing pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak is the COVID-19 disease, which has caused massive health devastation, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a worldwide health emergency. The corona virus infected millions of people worldwide, and many died as a result of a lack of particular medications. The current emergency necessitates extensive therapy in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. There are various vaccinations available, but no validated COVID-19 treatments. Since its outbreak, many therapeutics have been tested, including the use of repurposed medications, nucleoside inhibitors, protease inhibitors, broad spectrum antivirals, convalescence plasma therapies, immune-modulators, and monoclonal antibodies. However, these approaches have not yielded any outcomes and are mostly used to alleviate symptoms associated with potentially fatal adverse drug reactions. Nanoparticles, on the other hand, may prove to be an effective treatment for COVID-19. They can be designed to boost the efficacy of currently available antiviral medications or to trigger a rapid immune response against COVID-19. In the last decade, there has been significant progress in nanotechnology. This review focuses on the virus’s basic structure, pathogenesis, and current treatment options for COVID-19. This study addresses nanotechnology and its applications in diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and targeted vaccine delivery, laying the groundwork for a successful pandemic fight

Thrombocytopenia and clinical outcomes among patients with COVID‐19 disease: A cohort study

Abstract Background and Aims Thrombocytopenia is increasingly recognized among patients with critical illness and plays a role in several diseases affecting different organ systems. Therefore, we studied the prevalence of thrombocytopenia among hospitalized COVID‐19 patients and its correlation with disease severity and clinical outcomes. Methods This was an observational retrospective cohort study conducted on 256 hospitalized COVID‐19 patients. Thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count below 150,000/μL. Disease severity was classified based on the five‐point CXR scoring tool. Results Thrombocytopenia was found in 66 (25.78%) patients. In outcomes, 41 (16%) patients were admitted to intensive care unit, 51 (19.9%) died, and 50 (19.5%) had acute kidney injury (AKI). Of the total patients with thrombocytopenia, 58 (87.9%) had early thrombocytopenia, while 8 (12.1%) had late thrombocytopenia. Notably, mean survival time was markedly decreased in late‐onset thrombocytopenia cases (p < 0.0001). Patients with thrombocytopenia showed a significant increase in creatinine compared to those with normal platelet counts (p < 0.05). Moreover, thrombocytopenia was more prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease compared to other comorbidities (p < 0.05). In addition, hemoglobin was significantly lower in the thrombocytopenia group (p < 0.05). Conclusion Thrombocytopenia is a common finding among COVID‐19 patients, with a predilection toward a specific group of patients, though the exact reasons are unclear. It predicts poor clinical outcomes and is closely linked to mortality, AKI, and the need for mechanical ventilation. These findings suggest that more research is required to study the mechanism of thrombocytopenia and the possibility of thrombotic microangiopathy in COVID‐19 patients

Parents' Knowledge and Perception of Child Abuse and Neglect in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Background: Child maltreatment is a crucial issue worldwide that has negative consequences for children and their families. Inability to distinguish between traditional corporal punishment and abuse is part of the problem. Objectives: To assess parents' knowledge and perception of child maltreatment and investigate the factors that influence their awareness. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited parents with at least one child aged <18 years. Data were collected using a self-administrated online questionnaire. Participants were categorized into two groups based on the median knowledge score. Results: A total of 447 participants completed the questionnaire, of which 62% were female and the average age was 37 years. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (60.6%) consider child abuse and neglect (CAN) to be a common problem in Saudi Arabia. Only 53% had good knowledge of CAN, and more than one-third were unaware of the hotline number available to report any CAN. Almost half of the participants did not consider refusing childhood immunization or smoking in front of children to be a form of CAN. Logistic regression showed that higher education and family income levels were significantly associated with good knowledge (P = 0.013 and 0.003, respectively). Conclusions: While most parents consider CAN to be a common problem in Saudi Arabia, they do not have adequate knowledge of what constitutes emotional abuse and neglect. These findings highlight the need for community-based education programs to increase parents and caregivers' awareness of child rights

Lateral epicondyle to the joint line distance is a precise landmark for determination of an accurate knee joint line: an observational retrospective study

Abstract Purpose To assess a quantitative and reproducible association between the position of the knee joint line and recognizable anatomical landmarks around it in order to help in restoring joint line in arthroplasty cases. Methods Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 130 normal knees were investigated. Anatomical measurements of the knee joint distances on the obtained planes were performed manually by distance measurements using a ruler tool, followed by 6 anatomical bony landmarks determination about the knee to identify the joint line which included the joint line, medial epicondyle, lateral epicondyle, medial flare, lateral flare, and proximal tibiofibular joint. The entire process was examined twice by two independent fellowship trained musculoskeletal radiologists, with a 2‐week interval between the first and second sets of readings. Results The lateral epicondyle to the joint line of the knee (LEJL) could be a reliable landmark for accurate distance measurements for the knee joint line level, with an absolute distance of 24.4 ± 2.8 mm. The analysis showed that the femorotibial ratio between the LEJL and proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) was 1.0 (LEJL/PTFJJL = 1.0 ± 0.1), confirming the location of the knee joint at the midpoint between the lateral epicondyle and PTFJ, revealing two identifiable landmarks. Conclusions LEJL is the most precise landmark for determination of an accurate knee joint line because the knee is located at the midline between the lateral epicondyle and PTFJ. These reproducible quantitative relationships can be widely employed in various imaging modalities to help restore the knee JL in arthroplasty surgeries

An efficient deepfake video detection using robust deep learning

The creation and manipulation of synthetic images have evolved rapidly, causing serious concerns about their effects on society. Although there have been various attempts to identify deep fake videos, these approaches are not universal. Identifying these misleading deepfakes is the first step in preventing them from spreading on social media sites. We introduce a unique deep-learning technique to identify fraudulent clips. Most deepfake identifiers currently focus on identifying face exchange, lip synchronous, expression modification, puppeteers, and other factors. However, exploring a consistent basis for all forms of fake videos and images in real-time forensics is challenging. We propose a hybrid technique that takes input from videos of successive targeted frames, then feeds these frames to the ResNet-Swish-BiLSTM, an optimized convolutional BiLSTM-based residual network for training and classification. This proposed method helps identify artifacts in deepfake images that do not seem real. To assess the robustness of our proposed model, we used the open deepfake detection challenge dataset (DFDC) and Face Forensics deepfake collections (FF++). We achieved 96.23% accuracy when using the FF++ digital record. In contrast, we attained 78.33% accuracy using the aggregated records from FF++ and DFDC. We performed extensive experiments and believe that our proposed method provides more significant results than existing techniques