Current Status of COVID-19 Diagnostics

In December 2019, an unexpected outbreak was caused by novel corona virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The lung disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was given the name of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 11, 2020. Since its origin in the Hubei province of Wuhan city in China, now it has spread to 218 countries worldwide. Panic situation created by COVID-19 has compelled researchers and doctors to work collaboratively. To combat with the disease, every control measures are under consideration from drug discovery to vaccine development. In the management of disease, rapid diagnosis is equally important as development of vaccine and drug. At present, various diagnostic kits are available for COVID-19. With the disease progression, global demand for diagnostics is raising. So, this chapter will include the updates on efficient diagnostic assays and future of diagnostic

Texture One Zero Model Based on A4 Flavor Symmetry and its Implications to Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

Neutrinos are perhaps the most elusive particles in our Universe. Neutrino physics could be counted as a benchmark for various new theories in elementary particle physics and also for the better understanding of the evolution of the Universe. To complete the neutrino picture, the missing information whether it is about their mass or their nature that the neutrinos are Majorana particles could be provided by the observation of a process called neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. Neutrinoless double beta decay is a hypothesised nuclear process in which two neutrons simultaneously decay into protons with no neutrino emission. In this paper we proposed a neutrino mass model based on A4 symmetry group and studied its implications to 0νββ decay. We obtained a lower limit on |Mee| for inverted hierarchy and which can be probed in 0νββ experiments like SuperNEMO and KamLAND-Zen.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of Radical Scavenging Ability of Ellagic Acid-Loaded Nanogels

Ellagic acid (EA), a potential antioxidant phytochemical has low aqueous solubility and bioavailability. In this paper, encapsulation of ellagic acid has been carried out into the biodegradable disulfide crosslinked poly (ethylene glycol) PEO-based nanogels synthesized via AGET (activator generated electron transfer) ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization), and their radical scavenging ability was evaluated. The encapsulation of the EA was carried out at two drug loading percentages, that is, 10 and 20 wt.% of the nanogels. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryldrazyl (DPPH) assay was utilized in order to assess the radical scavenging ability of the ellagic acid-loaded nanogels. A drug-loading level of about 2.5 wt.% was achieved with encapsulation efficiency of about 25% at 10 wt.% of the EA w.r.t nanogels, which was found to increase to about 4.7 wt.% with decreased encapsulation efficiency of 23.5% as EA content was increased to 20wt.% of the nanogels. Ellagic acid loading was found to be accompanied with increase in the size of the nanogels from 144.6±39.52 nm for neat nanogels to 217.8±105.5 and 633±160.1 nm at 2.5 and 4.7 wt.% drug loading level. The nanogels were found to be capable of scavenging radicals and biocompatible on human cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa cells) at appropriate concentrations

Role of physiotherapy in M.P.D.S: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: To analyze the methodologic quality, summarize the findings, and perform a meta-analysis of the results from randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of physiotherapy management of Myofascial Pain Dysfunction syndrome (MPDS). Methodology: A literature review was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Science Direct. Each article was independently assessed by two investigators using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis was conducted to obtain summary estimates of the standardized mean differences (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Between-study heterogeneity was computed and publication bias was assessed. Results : Seven articles met the inclusion criteria and were used in the analysis, corresponding to nine estimates of SMD. The meta-analysis showed that for pain reduction, the summary SMD favored physiotherapy (SMD = −0.63; 95% CI: −0.95 to −0.31; number of studies = 8; I2 = 0.0%), while for active range of movement (ROM) the differences between the intervention and control groups were not statistically significant (SMD = 0.33; 95% CI: −0.07 to 0.72; number of studies = 9; I2 = 61.9%). Conclusion: Physiotherapy seems to lead to decreased pain and may improve active muscle movement.&nbsp

Sequence polymorphisms in the receptor-binding domain of Plasmodium falciparum EBA-175: implications for malaria vaccine development

This article does not have an abstract

Evaluation of effect of early nasal layer closure on definitive repair in cleft palate patients: An original research

Introduction: Cleft of lip and palate are most common serial congenital anomalies to affect the orofacial region. It can occur isolated or together in various combination and/or along with other congenital deformities particularly congenital heart diseases. Patient with oro-facial cleft deformity needs to be treated at right time and at right age to achieve functional and esthetic well being. The cleft palate is one of the most common congenital anomalies treated by plastic surgeons. The cleft width increases the tension of repair and necessitates excessive dissection that might affect maxillary growth. Decreasing the width of cleft minimize tension, dissection and may limit the impact on maxillary growth.  Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nasal layer closure of the hard palate at the time of cleft lip repair in patients with complete and incomplete cleft lip and palate, to demonstrate the efficacy of narrowing the gap and to reduce the incidence of fistulae or other complications. Material and Methods: Sixty patients less than 1 year of age were included in this prospective observational study

Vulnerability to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) / Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among adolescent girls and young women in India: A rapid review.

Limited evidence is available on the vulnerability of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) to sexual risk behaviour and STI/HIV. Though there are almost no statistics available on vulnerability, related literature suggests that AGYW have low awareness about sexual risk behaviour/ transmission and the prevalence of STI/HIV, making them vulnerable. We conducted a rapid review of peer-reviewed studies addressing transmission network, prevalence, incidence awareness, common determinants of sexual risk behaviour/STI/HIV, health-seeking behaviour and existing interventions addressing the situation among AGYW (age 15-24) to inform the evidence gap in this crucial area of research. We registered the study in PROSPERO (CRD42023403713). We developed detailed inclusion/exclusion criteria, searched JSTOR, PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Population Council Knowledge Commons databases and followed the guidance from Cochrane Rapid Review to develop the rapid review. We also searched the bibliography of the included studies. We included the English language peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, mixed method studies published from Jan 1 2000 to Mar 31 2023. Six reviewers extracted data, and the seventh reviewer independently assessed the quality. Ninety-six studies met the inclusion criteria. We used descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis methods for data analysis. We also conducted a Risk of Bias Assessment (RoB) to check the quality of the included studies. Inadequate literature was found on the transmission network. Prevalence and awareness of STI/HIV are low among AGYW. However, Female Sex Workers, sex-trafficked women or drug users in this age group suffer more. Age, education, income, relationship dynamics with spouses/partners, multiple partners, and substance use are crucial in determining STI/HIV. Traditional sources of health seeking are more popular than formal sources because of social stigma. Mass media campaigns, community mobilization programs, and life skills training programs increase awareness about HIV, condom use and self-efficacy. The inclusion of only English language studies and not conducting meta-analysis because of high heterogeneity are some of the limitations of the study