CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES - AN EMERGING TREND IN NANOTECHNOLOGY

The application of nanotechnology for the treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, and control of biological systems has recently been determined by the National of Health (NIH) as nanomedicine. The strategy of Nanoparticle delivery plays a significant impact on global Pharmaceutical planning and marketing. Polymeric nanoparticles are used to control the drug release, to improve the dissolution of poorly soluble drugs in addition to improve the bioavailability of degradable substances such as protein. They also enhance the uptake of hydrophilic substances across the epithelial layers and have the potential for intracellular drug delivery. The submicron size range of nanoparticles is not only suitable for parenteral application but also applicable for mucosal routes of administration, i.e., oral, nasal, and ocular mucosa which are non-invasive route. Thus nanoparticle formulations are more advantageous over traditional dosage forms. The main aim of the present review deals with the nanoparticles of chitosan, which is a natural and bio-degradable polymer. The review focuses on the isolation, purification, characteristic features, derivatives of chitosan, preparation techniques, evaluation methods and applications of chitosan nanoparticles

OEIS complex: a rare foetal anomaly

OEIS (Omphalocele, extrophy of bladder/cloaca, imperforate anus, spinal defects) is a rare constellation of malformations involving multiple organs in humans. It is the most serious manifestation of exstrophy-epispadias sequence. The exact aetiology of this condition is not known. It is sporadic but genetic associations have also been hypothesised. It results from defective blastogenesis leading to improper closure of anterior abdominal wall and defective development of cloacae and urogenital septum. Incidence ranges from 1 in 200000 to 1 in 400000. Prenatal diagnosis of OEIS complex can be done by anomaly scan between 18 to 22 weeks of gestation. It carries a poor prognosis. Survival is nil or very less. Even if baby survives it requires multiple surgeries with many potential complications. We had an undiagnosed case of this complex presenting to us in advanced labour, but a timely ultrasound helped in the diagnosis and avoided an unnecessary caesarean section which we would have done for an elderly primigravida with breech presentation

Implementation of a heart disease risk prediction model using machine learning

Cardiovascular disease prediction aids practitioners in making more accurate health decisions for their patients. Early detection can aid people in making lifestyle changes and, if necessary, ensuring effective medical care. Machine learning (ML) is a plausible option for reducing and understanding heart symptoms of disease. The chi-square statistical test is performed to select specific attributes from the Cleveland heart disease (HD) dataset. Support vector machine (SVM), Gaussian Naive Bayes, logistic regression, LightGBM, XGBoost, and random forest algorithm have been employed for developing heart disease risk prediction model and obtained the accuracy as 80.32%, 78.68%, 80.32%, 77.04%, 73.77%, and 88.5%, respectively. The data visualization has been generated to illustrate the relationship between the features. According to the findings of the experiments, the random forest algorithm achieves 88.5% accuracy during validation for 303 data instances with 13 selected features of the Cleveland HD dataset

Farmer participatory varietal selection in groundnut – A success story in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India

Farmer participatory varietal selection trials in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India identified ICGV 91114 as the most productive groundnut cultivar. This cultivar was adopted for large-scale production, giving higher pod and haulm yields and comparable shelling outturn compared with the control cultivar TMV 2

CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES - AN EMERGING TREND IN NANOTECHNOLOGY

The application of nanotechnology for the treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, and control of biological systems has recently been determined by the National of Health (NIH) as nanomedicine. The strategy of Nanoparticle delivery plays a significant impact on global Pharmaceutical planning and marketing. Polymeric nanoparticles are used to control the drug release, to improve the dissolution of poorly soluble drugs in addition to improve the bioavailability of degradable substances such as protein. They also enhance the uptake of hydrophilic substances across the epithelial layers and have the potential for intracellular drug delivery. The submicron size range of nanoparticles is not only suitable for parenteral application but also applicable for mucosal routes of administration, i.e., oral, nasal, and ocular mucosa which are non-invasive route. Thus nanoparticle formulations are more advantageous over traditional dosage forms. The main aim of the present review deals with the nanoparticles of chitosan, which is a natural and bio-degradable polymer. The review focuses on the isolation, purification, characteristic features, derivatives of chitosan, preparation techniques, evaluation methods and applications of chitosan nanoparticles

Obtaining Sustainable Higher Groundnut Yields: Principles and Practices of Cultivation. Information Bulletin No. 71

With a few exceptions, groundnut productivity in most developing countries continues to be low. Although many high-yielding varieties have been released, their full potential is not realized in the absence of appropriate crop management practices. General agronomic recommendations are broad based and do not help much because of large variation in soil characteristics and nutrient status and other agroecological factors across groundnut fields. This bulletin discusses the underlying principles of various aspects of crop cultivation to encourage farmers to develop their own package of cultivation practices suitable to their fields and needs. It also provides information on groundnut cultivation under polythene mulch, which has resulted in 20–50% increase in groundnut productivity in China and on a seed production method to build self-reliance in the seed of improved groundnut varieties

Oxidation resistance of graphene-coated Cu and Cu/Ni alloy

The ability to protect refined metals from reactive environments is vital to many industrial and academic applications. Current solutions, however, typically introduce several negative effects, including increased thickness and changes in the metal physical properties. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time the ability of graphene films grown by chemical vapor deposition to protect the surface of the metallic growth substrates of Cu and Cu/Ni alloy from air oxidation. SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS studies show that the metal surface is well protected from oxidation even after heating at 200 \degree C in air for up to 4 hours. Our work further shows that graphene provides effective resistance against hydrogen peroxide. This protection method offers significant advantages and can be used on any metal that catalyzes graphene growth

Comparative and temporal transcriptome analysis of peste des petits ruminants virus infected goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Peste des petits ruminanats virus (PPRV), a morbillivirus causes an acute, highly contagious disease – peste des petits ruminants (PPR), affecting goats and sheep. Sungri/96 vaccine strain is widely used for mass vaccination programs in India against PPR and is considered the most potent vaccine providing long-term immunity. However, occurrence of outbreaks due to emerging PPR viruses may be a challenge. In this study, the temporal dynamics of immune response in goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with Sungri/96 vaccine virus was investigated by transcriptome analysis. Infected goat PBMCs at 48 h and 120 h post infection revealed 2540 and 2000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively, on comparison with respective controls. Comparison of the infected samples revealed 1416 DEGs to be altered across time points. Functional analysis of DEGs reflected enrichment of TLR signaling pathways, innate immune response, inflammatory response, positive regulation of signal transduction and cytokine production. The upregulation of innate immune genes during early phase (between 2-5 days) viz. interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), tripartite motifs (TRIM) and several interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) in infected PBMCs and interactome analysis indicated induction of broad-spectrum anti-viral state. Several Transcription factors – IRF3, FOXO3 and SP1 that govern immune regulatory pathways were identified to co-regulate the DEGs. The results from this study, highlighted the involvement of both innate and adaptive immune systems with the enrichment of complement cascade observed at 120 h p.i., suggestive of a link between innate and adaptive immune response. Based on the transcriptome analysis and qRT-PCR validation, an in vitro mechanism for the induction of ISGs by IRFs in an interferon independent manner to trigger a robust immune response was predicted in PPRV infection

Associations of FTO and MC4R Variants with Obesity Traits in Indians and the Role of Rural/Urban Environment as a Possible Effect Modifier

Few studies have investigated the association between genetic variation and obesity traits in Indian populations or the role of environmental factors as modifiers of these relationships. In the context of rapid urbanisation, resulting in significant lifestyle changes, understanding the aetiology of obesity is important. We investigated associations of FTO and MC4R variants with obesity traits in 3390 sibling pairs from four Indian cities, most of whom were discordant for current dwelling (rural or urban). The FTO variant rs9939609 predicted increased weight (0.09 Z-scores, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.15) and BMI (0.08 Z-scores, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.14). The MC4R variant rs17782313 was weakly associated with weight and hip circumference (P < .05). There was some indication that the association between FTO and weight was stronger in urban than that in rural dwellers (P for interaction = .03), but no evidence for effect modification by diet or physical activity. Further studies are needed to investigate ways in which urban environment may modify genetic risk of obesity

Regulation of mTORC1 Signaling by pH

BACKGROUND: Acidification of the cytoplasm and the extracellular environment is associated with many physiological and pathological conditions, such as intense exercise, hypoxia and tumourigenesis. Acidification affects important cellular functions including protein synthesis, growth, and proliferation. Many of these vital functions are controlled by mTORC1, a master regulator protein kinase that is activated by various growth-stimulating signals and inactivated by starvation conditions. Whether mTORC1 can also respond to changes in extracellular or cytoplasmic pH and play a role in limiting anabolic processes in acidic conditions is not known. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: We examined the effects of acidifying the extracellular medium from pH 7.4 to 6.4 on human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells and immortalized mouse embryo fibroblasts. Decreasing the extracellular pH caused intracellular acidification and rapid, graded and reversible inhibition of mTORC1, assessed by measuring the phosphorylation of the mTORC1 substrate S6K. Fibroblasts deleted of the tuberous sclerosis complex TSC2 gene, a major negative regulator of mTORC1, were unable to inhibit mTORC1 in acidic extracellular conditions, showing that the TSC1-TSC2 complex is required for this response. Examination of the major upstream pathways converging on the TSC1-TSC2 complex showed that Akt signaling was unaffected by pH but that the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway was inhibited. Inhibition of MEK with drugs caused only modest mTORC1 inhibition, implying that other unidentified pathways also play major roles. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a novel role for the TSC1/TSC2 complex and mTORC1 in sensing variations in ambient pH. As a common feature of low tissue perfusion, low glucose availability and high energy expenditure, acidic pH may serve as a signal for mTORC1 to downregulate energy-consuming anabolic processes such as protein synthesis as an adaptive response to metabolically stressful conditions