| 1. |
- Toldo, M, et al.
(författare)
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Enhancing early detection of neurological and developmental disorders and provision of intervention in low-resource settings in Uttar Pradesh, India: study protocol of the G.A.N.E.S.H. programme
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMJ open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 10:11, s. e037335-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Around 9% of India’s children under six are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders. Low-resource, rural communities often lack programmes for early identification and intervention. The Prechtl General Movement Assessment (GMA) is regarded as the best clinical tool to predict cerebral palsy in infants <5 months. In addition, children with developmental delay, intellectual disabilities, late detected genetic disorders or autism spectrum disorder show abnormal general movements (GMs) during infancy. General Movement Assessment in Neonates for Early Identification and Intervention, Social Support and Health Awareness (G.A.N.E.S.H.) aims to (1) provide evidence as to whether community health workers can support the identification of infants at high-risk for neurological and developmental disorders and disabilities, (2) monitor further development in those infants and (3) initiate early and targeted intervention procedures.MethodsThis 3-year observational cohort study will comprise at least 2000 infants born across four districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Community health workers, certified for GMA, video record and assess the infants’ GMs twice, that is, within 2 months after birth and at 3–5 months. In case of abnormal GMs and/or reduced MOSs, infants are further examined by a paediatrician and a neurologist. If necessary, early intervention strategies (treatment as usual) are introduced. After paediatric and neurodevelopmental assessments at 12–24 months, outcomes are categorised as normal or neurological/developmental disorders. Research objective (1): to relate the GMA to the outcome at 12–24 months. Research objective (2): to investigate the impact of predefined exposures. Research objective (3): to evaluate the interscorer agreement of GMA.Ethics and disseminationG.A.N.E.S.H. received ethics approval from the Indian Government Chief Medical Officers of Varanasi and Mirzapur and from the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service in Varanasi. GMA is a worldwide used diagnostic tool, approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Graz, Austria (27-388 ex 14/15). Apart from peer-reviewed publications, we are planning to deploy G.A.N.E.S.H. in other vulnerable settings.
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| 5. |
- Rai, Sanskriti, et al.
(författare)
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Circulating plasma miR-23b-3p as a biomarker target for idiopathic Parkinson's disease: comparison with small extracellular vesicle miRNA
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1662-4548 .- 1662-453X. ; 17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an increasingly common neurodegenerative condition, which causes movement dysfunction and a broad range of non-motor symptoms. There is no molecular or biochemical diagnosis test for PD. The miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs and are extensively studied owing to their altered expression in pathological states and facile harvesting and analysis techniques.Methods: A total of 48 samples (16 each of PD, aged-matched, and young controls) were recruited. The small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) were isolated and validated using Western blot, transmission electron microscope, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Small RNA isolation, library preparation, and small RNA sequencing followed by differential expression and targeted prediction of miRNA were performed. The real-time PCR was performed with the targeted miRNA on PD, age-matched, and young healthy control of plasma and plasma-derived sEVs to demonstrate their potential as a diagnostic biomarker.Results: In RNA sequencing, we identified 14.89% upregulated (fold change 1.11 to 11.04, p < 0.05) and 16.54% downregulated (fold change −1.04 to −7.28, p < 0.05) miRNAs in PD and controls. Four differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-23b-3p, miR-29a-3p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-150-3p) were selected. The expression of miR-23b-3p was “upregulated” (p = 0.002) in plasma, whereas “downregulated” (p = 0.0284) in plasma-derived sEVs in PD than age-matched controls. The ROC analysis of miR-23b-3p revealed better AUC values in plasma (AUC = 0.8086, p = 0.0029) and plasma-derived sEVs (AUC = 0.7278, p = 0.0483) of PD and age-matched controls.Conclusion: We observed an opposite expression profile of miR-23b-3p in PD and age-matched healthy control in plasma and plasma-derived sEV fractions, where the expression of miR-23b-3p is increased in PD plasma while decreased in plasma-derived sEV fractions. We further observed the different miR-23b-3p expression profiles in young and age-matched healthy control.
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| 6. |
- Rastogi, Simran, et al.
(författare)
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Fluorescence-tagged salivary small extracellular vesicles as a nanotool in early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMC Medicine. - : Springer Nature. - 1741-7015. ; 21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Parkinson’s disease is generally asymptomatic at earlier stages. At an early stage, there is an extensive progression in the neuropathological hallmarks, although, at this stage, diagnosis is not possible with currently available diagnostic methods. Therefore, the pressing need is for susceptibility risk biomarkers that can aid in better diagnosis and therapeutics as well can objectively serve to measure the endpoint of disease progression. The role of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases could be potent in playing a revolutionary role in biomarker discovery.Methods: In our study, the salivary sEV were efficiently isolated by chemical precipitation combined with ultrafiltration from subjects (PD = 70, healthy controls = 26, and prodromal PD = 08), followed by antibody-based validation with CD63, CD9, GAPDH, Flotillin-1, and L1CAM. Morphological characterization of the isolated sEV through transmission electron microscopy. The quantification of sEV was achieved by fluorescence (lipid-binding dye-labeled) nanoparticle tracking analysis and antibody-based (CD63 Alexa fluor 488 tagged sEV) nanoparticle tracking analysis. The total alpha-synuclein (α-synTotal) in salivary sEVs cargo was quantified by ELISA. The disease severity staging confirmation for n = 18 clinically diagnosed Parkinson’s disease patients was done by 99mTc-TRODAT-single-photon emission computed tomography.Results: We observed a significant increase in total sEVs concentration in PD patients than in the healthy control (HC), where fluorescence lipid-binding dye-tagged sEV were observed to be higher in PD (p = 0.0001) than in the HC using NTA with a sensitivity of 94.34%. In the prodromal PD cases, the fluorescence lipid-binding dye-tagged sEV concentration was found to be higher (p = 0.008) than in HC. This result was validated through anti-CD63 tagged sEV (p = 0.0006) with similar sensitivity of 94.12%. We further validated our findings with the ELISA based on α-synTotal concentration in sEV, where it was observed to be higher in PD (p = 0.004) with a sensitivity of 88.24%. The caudate binding ratios in 99mTc-TRODAT-SPECT represent a positive correlation with sEV concentration (r = 0.8117 with p = 0.0112).Conclusions: In this study, for the first time, we have found that the fluorescence-tagged sEV has the potential to screen the progression of disease with clinically acceptable sensitivity and can be a potent early detection method for PD.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Singh, Rishabh, et al.
(författare)
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Circulating small extracellular vesicles in Alzheimer’s disease: a case–control study of neuro-inflammation and synaptic dysfunction
- 2024
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Ingår i: BMC Medicine. - : Springer Nature. - 1741-7015. ; 22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by Aβ plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Chronic inflammation and synaptic dysfunction lead to disease progression and cognitive decline. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are implicated in AD progression by facilitating the spread of pathological proteins and inflammatory cytokines. This study investigates synaptic dysfunction and neuroinflammation protein markers in plasma-derived sEVs (PsEVs), their association with Amyloid-β and tau pathologies, and their correlation with AD progression.Methods: A total of 90 [AD = 35, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) = 25, and healthy age-matched controls (AMC) = 30] participants were recruited. PsEVs were isolated using a chemical precipitation method, and their morphology was characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Using nanoparticle tracking analysis, the size and concentration of PsEVs were determined. Antibody-based validation of PsEVs was done using CD63, CD81, TSG101, and L1CAM antibodies. Synaptic dysfunction and neuroinflammation were evaluated with synaptophysin, TNF-α, IL-1β, and GFAP antibodies. AD-specific markers, amyloid-β (1–42), and p-Tau were examined within PsEVs using Western blot and ELISA.Results: Our findings reveal higher concentrations of PsEVs in AD and MCI compared to AMC (p < 0.0001). Amyloid-β (1–42) expression within PsEVs is significantly elevated in MCI and AD compared to AMC. We could also differentiate between the amyloid-β (1–42) expression in AD and MCI. Similarly, PsEVs-derived p-Tau exhibited elevated expression in MCI compared with AMC, which is further increased in AD. Synaptophysin exhibited downregulated expression in PsEVs from MCI to AD (p = 0.047) compared to AMC, whereas IL-1β, TNF-α, and GFAP showed increased expression in MCI and AD compared to AMC. The correlation between the neuropsychological tests and PsEVs-derived proteins (which included markers for synaptic integrity, neuroinflammation, and disease pathology) was also performed in our study. The increased number of PsEVs correlates with disease pathological markers, synaptic dysfunction, and neuroinflammation.Conclusions: Elevated PsEVs, upregulated amyloid-β (1–42), and p-Tau expression show high diagnostic accuracy in AD. The downregulated synaptophysin expression and upregulated neuroinflammatory markers in AD and MCI patients suggest potential synaptic degeneration and neuroinflammation. These findings support the potential of PsEV-associated biomarkers for AD diagnosis and highlight synaptic dysfunction and neuroinflammation in disease progression.
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| 9. |
- Yatan Pal Singh, Balhara, et al.
(författare)
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Can daily internet use time screen for problematic internet use among college students? A receiver operator characteristic curve-based multi-country study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Neurology Psychiatry and Brain Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0941-9500 .- 2212-8581. ; 38, s. 43-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2020 Elsevier GmbH Background and objective: The current article explored the possibility of using daily internet use time as an indicator for problematic internet use (PIU) among college/ university students based on observations from a multi-centric, multi-country study conducted across eight different countries. Additionally, the current article explored whether daily night time sleep and physical activity can serve as possible indicators of PIU. Methods: The present article presents the findings from analysis of information collected from 2643 college/university students from eight countries. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to compare the predictive performance of three different indicator variables in the study participants to determine PIU. Results: The AUC for daily internet use time was 0.64 (95 % CI: 0.62 to 0.656), which was higher than the AUC for weekly physical activity (0.599; 95 % CI: 0.580 to 0.618) and daily night time sleep (0.563; 95 % CI: 0.544 to 0.582). The AUC for three indicator variables was compared, which showed that the AUC for daily internet time was significantly higher than the AUC for daily night-time sleep. Conclusions: The assessment of daily internet use time as part of a larger battery of general health-related questions could be applied periodically among young students for screening of PIU in addition to a host of other important mental and physical health related conditions and behaviors. However, further studies are needed to determine optimal cut-off depending upon the desired trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for screening among different populations.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Chien, Yin-Hsiu, et al.
(författare)
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Mudd's disease (MAT I/III deficiency) : a survey of data for MAT1A homozygotes and compound heterozygotes
- 2015
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Ingår i: Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1750-1172. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: This paper summarizes the results of a group effort to bring together the worldwide available data on patients who are either homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for mutations in MAT1A. MAT1A encodes the subunit that forms two methionine adenosyltransferase isoenzymes, tetrameric MAT I and dimeric MAT III, that catalyze the conversion of methionine and ATP to S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet). Subnormal MAT I/III activity leads to hypermethioninemia. Individuals, with hypermethioninemia due to one of the MAT1A mutations that in heterozygotes cause relatively mild and clinically benign hypermethioninemia are currently often being flagged in screening programs measuring methionine elevation to identify newborns with defective cystathionine beta-synthase activity. Homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for MAT1A mutations are less frequent. Some but not all, such individuals have manifested demyelination or other CNS abnormalities. Purpose of the study: The goals of the present effort have been to determine the frequency of such abnormalities, to find how best to predict whether they will occur, and to evaluate the outcomes of the variety of treatment regimens that have been used. Data have been gathered for 64 patients, of whom 32 have some evidence of CNS abnormalities (based mainly on MRI findings), and 32 do not have such evidence. Results and Discussion: The results show that mean plasma methionine concentrations provide the best indication of the group into which a given patient will fall: those with means of 800 mu M or higher usually have evidence of CNS abnormalities, whereas those with lower means usually do not. Data are reported for individual patients for MAT1A genotypes, plasma methionine, total homocysteine (tHcy), and AdoMet concentrations, liver function studies, results of 15 pregnancies, and the outcomes of dietary methionine restriction and/or AdoMet supplementation. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms that might contribute to CNS damage are discussed, and tentative suggestions are put forth as to optimal management.
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| 12. |
- Gorai, Priya Kumari, et al.
(författare)
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C1QA and COMP: plasma-based biomarkers for early diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pancreatic Neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) are challenging to diagnose and often detected at advanced stages due to a lack of specific and sensitive biomarkers. This study utilized proteomics as a valuable approach for cancer biomarker discovery; therefore, mass spectrometry-based proteomic profiling was conducted on plasma samples from 12 subjects (3 controls; 5 Grade I, 4 Grade II PanNET patients) to identify potential proteins capable of effectively distinguishing PanNET from healthy controls. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD045045. 13.2% of proteins were uniquely identified in PanNET, while 60% were commonly expressed in PanNET and controls. 17 proteins exhibiting significant differential expression between PanNET and controls were identified with downstream analysis. Further, 5 proteins (C1QA, COMP, HSP90B1, ITGA2B, and FN1) were selected by pathway analysis and were validated using Western blot analysis. Significant downregulation of C1QA (p = 0.001: within groups, 0.03: control vs. grade I, 0.0013: grade I vs. grade II) and COMP (p = 0.011: within groups, 0.019: control vs grade I) were observed in PanNET Grade I & II than in controls. Subsequently, ELISA on 38 samples revealed significant downregulation of C1QA and COMP with increasing disease severity. This study shows the potential of C1QA and COMP in the early detection of PanNET, highlighting their role in the search for early-stage (Grade-I and Grade-II) diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for PanNET.
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| 13. |
- Gorai, Priya Kumari, et al.
(författare)
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Deciphering pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Unveiling through circulating small extracellular vesicles
- 2024
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Ingår i: Heliyon. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 2405-8440. ; 10:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The survival rate over a five-year period for rare pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) is notably lower compared to other neuroendocrine tumors due to late-stage detection, which is a consequence of the absence of suitable diagnostic markers; therefore, there exists a critical need for an early-stage biomarker-specific to PanNETs. This study introduces a novel approach, investigating the impact of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) in PanNET growth and metastasis. As proof of concept, this study shows a correlation between sEV concentration in controls and PanNET. Notably, higher sEV concentrations were observed in PanNETs than in controls (p < 0.0001) with a sensitivity of 100%. Further, apparent differences were observed in the sEV concentrations between controls and grades 1 PanNET (p = 0.005). The expression of sEV markers was confirmed using CD63, TSG101, CD9, Flotillin-1, and GAD65 antibodies. Additionally, the expression of cancer marker BIRC2/cIAP1 (p = 0.002) and autophagy marker Beclin-1 (p = 0.02) were observed in plasma-derived sEVs and PanNET tissue. This study represents the first to indicate the increased secretion of sEV in PanNET patients' blood plasma, proposing potential function of sEV as a new biomarker for early-stage PanNET detection.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Gupta, Rajeev Kumar, et al.
(författare)
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Biochar influences nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in two texturally different soils
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are vital for crop growth. However, most agricultural systems have limited inherent ability to supply N and P to crops. Biochars (BCs) are strongly advocated in agrosystems and are known to improve the availability of N and P in crops through different chemical transformations. Herein, a soil-biochar incubation experiment was carried out to investigate the transformations of N and P in two different textured soils, namely clay loam and loamy sand, on mixing with rice straw biochar (RSB) and acacia wood biochar (ACB) at each level (0, 0.5, and 1.0% w/w). Ammonium N (NH4-N) decreased continuously with the increasing incubation period. The ammonium N content disappeared rapidly in both the soils incubated with biochars compared to the unamended soil. RSB increased the nitrate N (NO3–N) content significantly compared to ACB for the entire study period in both texturally divergent soils. The nitrate N content increased with the enhanced biochar addition rate in clay loam soil until 15 days after incubation; however, it was reduced for the biochar addition rate of 1% compared to 0.5% at 30 and 60 days after incubation in loamy sand soil. With ACB, the net increase in nitrate N content with the biochar addition rate of 1% remained higher than the 0.5% rate for 60 days in clay loam and 30 days in loamy sand soil. The phosphorus content remained consistently higher in both the soils amended with two types of biochars till the completion of the experiment.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Khan, Sajid, et al.
(författare)
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Utilizing manufacturing variations to design a tri-state flip-flop PUF for IoT security applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing. - : Springer. - 0925-1030 .- 1573-1979. ; 103:3, s. 477-492
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Physically unclonable functions (PUF) are digital fingerprints which generate high entropy, temper-resilient keys and/or chip-identifiers for security applications. When considering the miniaturized hardware development for the Internet of Things (IoT), security is of high importance. In this case, PUF designing using SRAM or D flip-flops are quite common but with compromised uniqueness due to the limited silicon area. In this work, a symmetric tri-state D flip-flop based lightweight PUF is proposed with increased uniqueness. The proposed architecture is implemented using a standard 40 nm CMOS technology. The post-layout simulation results show that it offers a uniqueness of 0.4994, which is the highest among all the considered architectures. Compared to the Arbiter PUF the proposed architecture has 0.267 , 0.064 , and 0.043 less, power, silicon area, and energy per bit, respectively. Similarly, when compared with the Ring Oscillator PUF, the proposed architecture has 0.017 , 0.031 , and 0.0005 less, power, silicon area, and energy per bit, respectively. Also, unlike other flip-flop based PUF, the proposed one does not require any post-processing block to remove the bias, thus contributes to saving the total implementation area and power of the system. An FPGA implementation is also presented as a proof-of-concept to verify functional correctness. For a better performance comparison among the considered architectures, a novel figure of merit (FOM) considering power, reliability, delay, silicon area, and uniqueness has been proposed, and it is observed that the proposed architecture offers the highest FOM among considered PUF architectures.
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| 18. |
- Kumar, Advitiya, et al.
(författare)
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Emulsion templated cellulosic porous scaffolds of superior oleophilicity
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cellulose. - : Springer Nature. - 0969-0239 .- 1572-882X. ; 30:14, s. 9047-9059
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Oil spills and related environmental concerns have been dealt using various approaches including hydrophobic absorbents made of synthetic polymers. Disposal and secondary contamination from such polymeric absorbent however are issues due to non-degradable nature of synthetic polymers. A cellulose based oleophilic porous scaffold for oil sorption is thus fabricated in this work via emulsion templating. Pre-treated wood pulp cellulose based high internal phase emulsion was developed through judicious choice of solvent, emulsifiers, nature and volume fraction of dispersed phase, and crosslinker for cellulose. The scaffold showed a highly interconnected porous structure resulting in an oil sorption capacity up to 8.8 g/g for automobile engine oil (volumetric swelling of 30 ml/ml), matching with some of the previously reported hydrophobically modified cellulosic absorbents. The scaffold showed no structural disintegration or decline in sorption capacity during cyclic sorption-desorption test up to 5 cycles. The oleophilic character was introduced in the scaffold due to high surface area and interconnected macropores acting as microchannels and reservoir for oil sorption without any interaction of the hydrophilic cellulose with the oil. The efficiency of porous scaffold of a natural polymer for oil sorption can further be enhanced via hydrophobic functionalization and other vast applications.
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| 19. |
- Mishra, Abhay, et al.
(författare)
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A tale of exosomes and their implication in cancer
- 2023
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Ingår i: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Reviews on Cancer. - : Elsevier. - 0304-419X .- 1879-2561. ; 1878:4
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cancer is a cause of high deaths worldwide and also a huge burden for the health system. Cancer cells have unique properties such as a high rate of proliferation, self-renewal, metastasis, and treatment resistance, therefore, the development of novel diagnoses of cancers is a tedious task. Exosomes are secreted by virtually all cell types and have the ability to carry a multitude of biomolecules crucial for intercellular communication, hence, contributing a crucial part in the onset and spread of cancer. These exosomal components can be utilized in the development of markers for diagnostic and prognostic purposes for various cancers. This review emphasized primarily the following topics: exosomes structure and functions, isolation and characterization strategies of exosomes, the role of exosomal contents in cancer with a focus in particular on noncoding RNA and protein, exosomes, and the cancer microenvironment interactions, cancer stem cells, and tumor diagnosis and prognosis based on exosomes.
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| 20. |
- Rani, Ekta, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring uncommon Fe-oxides in non-metallic inclusions in ultra-high-strength steel
- 2024
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Ingår i: Results in Materials. - 2590-048X. ; 23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Investigating non-metallic inclusions within ultra-high-strength-steel via conventional methods is a known: however, the challenge is to obtain chemical information of such inclusions at the sub-micrometer level. In this context, probing Fe-based oxide in inclusions is a vital aspect for guiding steel’ performance. The vibrational properties of sub micrometer size Fe-based oxides were investigated by Raman mapping along with chemometric analysis with the aim of probing their chemical composition. Highly contrasted Raman spectra were recorded from several inclusions embedded at different spatial locations. The observed spectral features were identified as specific markers of hematite (α-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). Principal Component Analysis was used to confirm the presence of these markers and potentially revealing additional patterns. Their unambiguous assignment has been inferred by comparing our experimental findings with the literature data recorded either in single crystals of iron oxides or oxyhydroxides. Micro-Raman spectroscopy is proven to be a reliable, cost-effective, and non-invasive tool for the unambiguous identification of subsurface regions of steel.
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| 21. |
- Rani, Ekta, et al.
(författare)
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Uncovering temperature-tempted coordination of inclusions within ultra-high-strength-steel via in-situ spectro-microscopy
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Research and Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2238-7854. ; 17, s. 2333-2342
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the common challenge of investigating non-metallic inclusions within ultra-high-strength-steel (UHSS) at sub-micrometer scale via conventional methods, probing nitride inclusions at elevated temperatures is vital for guiding steel’ performance. Herein, an in-situ spectro-microscopic determination using advanced Synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) coupled with photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) is employed to explore the local structure and electronic properties of selective h-boron nitride (h-BN) containing inclusions (A1 and A2) embedded within steel matrix. While the variation in the relative intensity of π∗/σ∗ excitonic peaks at spatially different locations refers to the polarization and or thickness effects. Several minute features observed in the 192–195 eV energy range show oxygen (O) substituted nitrogen (N) defects (ON,2N,3N), which are more dominant in A2 inclusion. The observed dominance further explains the relatively high intense π∗ peak in A2 due to increased localization. Weak shoulder on the left side of π∗ peak in both room and high-temperature XAS spectra is ascribed to the interaction between h-BN and the local environment, such as Ca-based inclusion or steel matrix. Defects are commonly found in h-BN, and precise identification of the same is vital as they affect the overall physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Moreover, significant changes in high-temperature B K-edge XAS spectra, such as relative intensity of π∗/σ∗ excitonic peaks at the same location and reduced intensity of defects, suggest the adjusting nature of BN inclusion, complicating their precise prediction and control towards clean steel production.
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| 22. |
- Rani, Ekta, et al.
(författare)
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Unraveling compensation between electron transfer and strain in Ni-Ag-MoS 2 photocatalyst
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Catalysis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9517 .- 1090-2694. ; 414, s. 199-208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the boom in catalytic response via constructing interfaces, understanding interfaces’ interaction in heterostructures is still a paradox. In this work, the interaction of Ni with MoS2 in Ni-Ag-MoS2 heterostructure are unveiled through synchrotron X-PEEM and what's more, the missing interaction mechanism at the Ag-MoS2 interface is probed via Raman mapping. The observed competition between the downshift of the E2g1 and A1g modes due to charge carrier injection and the upshift of the E2g1 and A1g modes due to compressive strain during reverse laser power experiment is assigned to the non-uniform growth of Ag nanoparticles, their intimate contact with MoS2, and Ag intercalated layered MoS2. The substantial improvement of the H2 yield of the Ni-Ag-MoS2 (∼55 μmol h−1 g−1) over the pristine MoS2 and the binary Ag-MoS2 evidence successful bonding of Ni, Ag and MoS2. This study highlights the importance of considering both electronic coupling and strain to optically tune electromechanical properties of MoS2.
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| 23. |
- Rani, Komal, et al.
(författare)
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A novel approach to correlate the salivary exosomes and their protein cargo in the progression of cognitive impairment into Alzheimer’s disease
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Neuroscience Methods. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0270 .- 1872-678X. ; 347
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundCognition is the ability of a person to think, remember, and interconnect ideas from various dimensions to strive for solutions. Cognitive defects accompany all forms of dementia and the decline in cognition is a most feared aspect. Mild cognitive impairment is considered as a transitional phase and the progressive loss in cognition can finally lead to Alzheimer’s disease.New MethodIn this study, we demonstrated a novel method based on nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) technique to directly correlate salivary exosomes concentration with the progression of cognitive impairment (CI) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).This could open up the possibility for an early and cost-effective screening of Alzheimer's disease.ResultsUsing our novel method, the total salivary exosomes concentration was measured by NTA technique, followed by validation of key exosomal cargo proteins through an automated western blot analyzer. We observed significant differences in salivary exosomes concentration among the groups of cognitively impaired and Alzheimer’s disease patients (p = 0.0023) compared to the healthy control cohort. The method was validated through CD63 (exosomes surface marker) fluorescent antibody based quantification, which yielded a similar outcome (p = 0.0286). We further corroborated our findings with the expression level of oligomeric amyloid-beta, phosphorylated-tau protein from salivary exosomes. The Aβ oligomer/fibril abundance (p = 0.0291), phospho-tau (p = 0.0325) and Aβ protein abundance (p = 0.0198) was significantly higher in Alzheimer’s and cognitively impaired patients in comparison to the healthy controls.Comparison with Existing Method(s)There are few molecular biomarkers available to differentiate between various stages of cognitive impairment. Moreover, the current methodologies utilizing the few biomarkers available are either invasive or expensive; also, for a patient with mild cognitive complains, it is impractical to use these as a screening tool.ConclusionOur initial results indicate that the salivary exosomes concentration based on the nano-tracking technique has the potential to be used as a cost-effective screening method for early disease detection.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Rani Singhania, Reeta, et al.
(författare)
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Consolidated Bioprocessing of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Technological Advances and Challenges
- 2022
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Ingår i: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0960-8524 .- 1873-2976. ; 354
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) is characterized by a single-step production of value-added compounds directly from biomass in a single vessel. This strategy has the capacity to revolutionize the whole biorefinery concept as it can significantly reduce the infrastructure input and use of chemicals for various processing steps which can make it economically and environmentally benign. Although the proof of concept has been firmly established in the past, commercialization has been limited due to the low conversion efficiency of the technology. Either a native single microbe, genetically modified microbe or a consortium can be employed. The major challenge in developing a cost-effective and feasible CBP process is the recognition of bifunctional catalysts combining the capability to use the substrates and transform them into value-added products with high efficiency. This article presents an in-depth analysis of the current developments in CBP around the globe and the possibilities of advancements in the future.
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| 26. |
- Rastogi, Simran, et al.
(författare)
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Osteogenic markers in peri‐implant crevicular fluid in immediate and delayed‐loaded dental implants: A randomized controlled trial
- 2023
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Ingår i: Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1523-0899 .- 1708-8208. ; 25:3, s. 540-548
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IntroductionThe study evaluates the levels of matrix metalloprotease-8 (MMP-8), and Cathepsin-K (CatK) in peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) among patients with immediate loaded (IL) and delayed-loaded (DL) implants at different time points to know the inflammation and osteogenic status.MethodsThe study population consisted of two groups (n = 25, each group) with a mean age of 28.7 ± 3.5 years, and PICF was collected. MMP-8 and CatK levels were quantified through ELISA.ResultsWe observed the concentrations of inflammatory markers (MMP-8 and CatK) at three time points in the IL and DL groups. The mean concentration of MMP-8 in the IL group was 9468 ± 1230 pg/mL, 5547 ± 1088 pg/mL, and 7248 ± 1396 pg/mL at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months, respectively; while in the DL group was 10 816 ± 779.7 pg/mL, 9531 ± 1245 pg/mL, and 9132 ± 1265 pg/mL at 2 weeks, 3 and 12 months, respectively. The mean concentration of Cat-K in the IL group was observed at 422.1 ± 36.46 pg/mL, 242.9 ± 25.87 pg/mL, and 469 ± 75.38 pg/mL at 2 weeks, 3, and 12 months, whereas in the DL group was 654.6 ± 152.9 pg/mL, 314.7 ± 28.29 pg/mL, and 539.8 ± 115.1 pg/mL at 2 weeks, 3 months and 12 months, respectively.ConclusionIn this study, the levels of CatK and MMP-8 levels decline at 12 months in both groups, and the IL group shows lower values compared to the DL group; however, no significant changes were observed after analyses were adjusted for multiple comparisons (p > 0.025). Therefore, there is not much difference observed in the inflammation process between immediate and delayed loading. (Clinical trial identifier: CTRI/2017/09/009668).
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| 27. |
- Rastogi, Simran, et al.
(författare)
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The Evolving Landscape of Exosomes in Neurodegenerative Diseases : Exosomes Characteristics and a Promising Role in Early Diagnosis
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 22:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) remains to be one of the biggest burdens on healthcare systems and serves as a leading cause of disability and death. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is among the most common of such disorders, followed by Parkinson’s disease (PD). The basic molecular details of disease initiation and pathology are still under research. Only recently, the role of exosomes has been linked to the initiation and progression of these neurodegenerative diseases. Exosomes are small bilipid layer enclosed extracellular vesicles, which were once considered as a cellular waste and functionless. These nano-vesicles of 30–150 nm in diameter carry specific proteins, lipids, functional mRNAs, and high amounts of non-coding RNAs (miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs). As the exosomes content is known to vary as per their originating and recipient cells, these vesicles can be utilized as a diagnostic biomarker for early disease detection. Here we review exosomes, their biogenesis, composition, and role in neurodegenerative diseases. We have also provided details for their characterization through an array of available techniques. Their updated role in neurodegenerative disease pathology is also discussed. Finally, we have shed light on a novel field of salivary exosomes as a potential candidate for early diagnosis in neurodegenerative diseases and compared the biomarkers of salivary exosomes with other blood/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) based exosomes within these neurological ailments
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| 28. |
- Singh, Anusuiya, et al.
(författare)
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Production of bioethanol from food waste: Status and perspectives
- 2022
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Ingår i: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0960-8524 .- 1873-2976. ; 360
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is an immediate global requirement for an ingenious strategy for food waste conversion to biofuels in order to replace fossil fuels with renewable resources. Food waste conversion to bioethanol could lead to a sustainable process having the dual advantage of resolving the issue of food waste disposal as well as meeting the energy requirements of the increasing population. Food waste is increasing at the rate of 1.3 billion tonnes per year, considered to be one-third of global food production. According to LCA studies discarding these wastes is detritus to the environment, therefore; it is beneficial to convert the food waste into bioethanol. The CO2 emission in this process offers zero impact on the environment as it is biogenic. Among several pretreatment strategies, hydrothermal pretreatment could be a better approach for pretreating food waste because it solubilizes organic solids, resulting in an increased recovery of fermentable sugars to produce bioenergy.
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| 29. |
- Singh, Harishchandra, et al.
(författare)
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Unveiling nano-scaled chemical inhomogeneity impacts on corrosion of Ce-modified 2507 super-duplex stainless steels
- 2022
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Ingår i: npj Materials Degradation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-2106. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The widely used stainless steels and their deformed variants are anticorrosive in ambient conditions due to passivation layers composed of chromium oxides. Conventionally, corrosion and erosion of the steels are attributed to the breakdown of such layers but seldomly to the origin that depends on surface heterogeneity at the microscopic level. In this work, the nanometer-scaled chemical heterogeneity at the surface unveiled via spectro-microscopy and chemometric analysis unexpectedly dominates the breakdown and corrosion behavior of the cold-rolled Ce-modified 2507 super-duplex stainless steels (SDSS) over its hot-deformed counterpart. Though relatively uniformly covered by a native Cr2O3 layer revealed by X-ray photoemission electron microscopy, the cold-rolled SDSS behaved poorly in passivity because of locally distributed Fe3+ rich nano-islands over the Fe/Cr oxide layer. This atomic-level knowledge provides a deep understanding of corrosion of stainless steel and is expected to benefit corrosion controls of similar high-alloyed metals.
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| 30. |
- Singh, Swati, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of pathogen removal efficiency of vertical flow constructed wetland treating septage
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Septage refers to the semi-liquid waste material that accumulates in septic tanks and other onsite sanitation systems. It is composed of a complex mixture of human excreta, wastewater, and various solid particles. Septage is a potential source of water pollution owing to presence of high organic content, significant pathogen concentrations, and a range of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. The harmful impacts of septage pollution poses significant risks to public health through the contamination of drinking water sources, eutrophication of water bodies and spread of water borne diseases. Conventional septage treatment technologies often face limitations such as high operational costs, energy requirements, and the need for extensive infrastructure. Therefore, with an aim to treat septage through an alternative cost effective and energy-efficient technology, a laboratory-scale constructed wetland (CW) system (0.99 m2) consisting of a sludge drying bed and a vertical flow wetland bed was utilized for the treatment of septage. The sludge drying bed and vertical flow beds were connected in series and filled with a combination of gravel with varying sizes (ranging from 5 to 40 mm) and washed sand. Canna indica plants were cultivated on both beds to facilitate phytoremediation process. The system was operated with intermittent dosing of 30 Ltrs of septage every day for 2 months. The HRT of the system was fixed at 48 h. The average inlet loads of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) were measured as 150 ± 65.7 g m−2 day−1, 713 ± 443.9 g m−2 day−1, and 309 ± 66.3 g m−2 day−1, respectively. After treatment, the final effluent had an average load of 6 g m−2 day−1 for BOD5, 15 g m−2 day−1 for COD, and 51 g m−2 day−1 for TSS, indicating that the CW system achieved an average removal efficiency of 88% for BOD, 87% for COD, and 65% for TSS. The average load of total coliforms and helminthes eggs in the influent was recorded as 4 × 108 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) m−2 day−1 and 3 × 107 eggs m−2 day−1, respectively. However, the CW system demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing microbial contamination, with an average removal efficiency of 99% for both total coliforms and helminthes eggs. The vertical flow constructed wetland system, equipped with pretreatment by sludge drying bed, has proven to be efficient in treatment of septage.
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| 31. |
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