Relationship of fractional exhaled nitric oxide with blood eosinophilia in characterizing type-2 airway inflammation in treatment-naïve patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a sensitive and reproducible, non-invasive biomarker for type-2 (T2) inflammation in asthma, remains underutilized in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated the potential role of FeNO and its relationship with blood eosinophilia in characterizing T2 airway inflammation in COPD. A single-center prospective observational study was conducted in 75 treatment-naïve adult patients with stable COPD and 75 age-sex-matched controls.

Comparative Evaluation of Functional Outcomes Following Surgical and Conservative Management of Distal Tibia Shaft Fractures: A Prospective Observational Study.

Introduction: Distal tibia shaft fractures pose significant treatment challenges due to limited soft tissue coverage and suboptimal vascularity in the region. Selecting the most appropriate management strategy - whether surgical or conservative - remains a subject of ongoing debate, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in central India between October 2022 and April 2024, involving 70 skeletally mature patients with distal tibial shaft fractures.

G9a controls plasma cell differentiation through FOXO1 and ETS1 binding site regulatory networks.

B cell differentiation is tightly regulated through coordinated changes in metabolism, division, expression of transcription factors, and epigenetic programming mediated by histone modifying enzymes. Here, we examined the role of an epigenetic writer, the histone H3K9 mono and dimethyltransferase G9a, in B cell development and plasma cell (PC) formation in vivo. Utilizing a B cell specific G9afl/flCd19Cre/+ conditional mouse model we found a significant decrease of marginal zone B cells in G9a knockout (KO) mice.

Exploring the PREVENT HF score and myocardial function among persons with HIV.

Objective: Persons with HIV (PWH) are at risk for myocardial structural changes, which can progress to diastolic dysfunction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We explored the AHA PREVENT HF (Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs for Heart Failure) risk score in relation to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Design: This cross-sectional study included 37 PWH on ART, ages 40-65, without known cardiovascular disease (CVD) who underwent CMR.

Exciton and Biexciton Transition Reveals Auger and Energy Transfer Dynamics in Mn-Doped CsPbCl Nanocrystals.

Femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy is a powerful technique that has been used to disentangle ultrafast exciton dynamics in halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs). The bleaching caused by the state-filling effect of the excitons is extensively and almost exclusively used to extract the exciton dynamics in perovskite NCs, whereas the induced absorption signals remain largely overlooked. We show that optical pumping of the higher-lying excitons results in exciton bleaching and red- and blue-shifted induced absorption resonances, caused by the exciton-to-biexciton transitions, in both undoped and Mn-doped CsPbCl NCs.

Rare cause of chronic cough in a young healthcare worker - A case of exogenous lipoid pneumonia!

Exogenous lipoid pneumonia (ELP) is a rarely reported entity caused by aspirating or inhaling fat or oil-containing substances. Clinically, patients present with subacute to chronic-onset non-specific symptoms such as cough, fever, breathlessness, and general malaise. In addition, lobar or multifocal interstitial and parenchymal infiltrates on chest imaging can mimic any other infectious etiology.

Improving the Health and Well-Being of Individuals by Addressing Social, Economic, and Health Inequities (Healthy Eating Active Living): Protocol for a Cohort Study.

Background: Health inequity is interlinked with the good health and well-being of an individual. Health inequity can be due to various socioeconomic factors like income levels or social status. Digital health interventions have the potential to reduce the existing health inequities.

Nr4a1 and Nr4a3 redundantly control clonal deletion and contribute to an anergy-like transcriptome in auto-reactive thymocytes to impose tolerance in mice.

The Nr4a nuclear hormone receptors are transcriptionally upregulated in response to antigen recognition by the T cell receptor (TCR) in the thymus and are implicated in clonal deletion, but the mechanisms by which they operate are not clear. Moreover, their role in central tolerance is obscured by redundancy among the Nr4a family members and by their reported functions in Treg generation and maintenance. Here we take advantage of competitive bone marrow chimeras and the OT-II/RIPmOVA model to show that Nr4a1 and Nr4a3 are essential for the upregulation of Bcl2l11/BIM and thymic clonal deletion by self-antigen.

Fine-tuning of Fgf8 morphogen gradient by heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix.

Embryonic development is orchestrated by the action of morphogens, which spread out from a local source and activate, in a field of target cells, different cellular programs based on their concentration gradient. Fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) is a morphogen with important functions in embryonic organizing centers. It forms a gradient in the extracellular space by free diffusion, interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM), and receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Correction: Evaluation of a parasite-density based pooled targeted amplicon deep sequencing (TADS) method for molecular surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance genes in Haiti.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography as an Effective Screening Tool for Cardiac Involvement Among Patients With Systemic Sarcoidosis in an Indian Cohort: A Prospective Observational Study.

Introduction: Diagnosing cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is challenging due to the lack of a sensitive gold standard diagnostic test. Although advanced imaging techniques like cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (cardiovascular magnetic resonance [CMR]) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) CT are promising, they are limited by their availability and cost. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is emerging as a valuable tool for the early detection of CS.

Guidelines for Antibiotics Prescription in Critically Ill Patients.

Khilnani GC, Tiwari P, Mittal S, Kulkarni AP, Chaudhry D, Zirpe KG, Guidelines for Antibiotics Prescription in Critically Ill Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(S2):S104-S216.

NCCP-ICS joint consensus-based clinical practice guidelines on medical thoracoscopy.

Medical Thoracoscopy (MT) is commonly performed by respiratory physicians for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. The aim of the study was to provide evidence-based information regarding all aspects of MT, both as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic aid for pulmonologists across India. The consensus-based guidelines were formulated based on a multistep process using a set of 31 questions.

Type I interferons induce an epigenetically distinct memory B cell subset in chronic viral infection.

Memory B cells (MBCs) are key providers of long-lived immunity against infectious disease, yet in chronic viral infection, they do not produce effective protection. How chronic viral infection disrupts MBC development and whether such changes are reversible remain unknown. Through single-cell (sc)ATAC-seq and scRNA-seq during acute versus chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis viral infection, we identified a memory subset enriched for interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs) during chronic infection that was distinct from the T-bet subset normally associated with chronic infection.

Comparing Transvaginal Ultrasound Measurements of Cervical Length to Bishop Score in Predicting Cesarean Section Following Induction of Labor: A Prospective Observational Study.

Introduction:  Bishop score (BS) has been used to see the favorability of the cervix for induction of labor (IOL), but it has limitations in today's diverse patient population. We aimed to assess the predictive value of transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) measurements of cervical length (CL) compared to BS in determining the likelihood of cesarean section (CS) following IOL.

Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted on 120 women requiring IOL in a tertiary care hospital in central India.

Study of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging using ambient air in an oxidation flow reactor during high pollution events over Delhi.

Secondary aerosols constitute a significant fraction of atmospheric aerosols, yet our understanding of their formation mechanism and fate is very limited. In this work, the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and aging of ambient air of Delhi are studied using a potential aerosol mass (PAM) reactor, an oxidation flow reactor (OFR), coupled with aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), and scanning mobility particle sizer with counter (SMPS + C). The setup mimics atmospheric aging of up to several days with the generation of OH radicals.

Extensive Pulmonary Cryptococcosis as a Presentation in an Immunocompetent Young Male: A Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Finding.

A 42-year-old male presented with a dry cough, breathlessness, and fever. He underwent a computed tomography that revealed large consolidation in the right lung. Biopsy revealed .

Carbon conundrums: Geopolitical clashes and market mayhem in the race for sustainability.

This research presents an in-depth investigation into the dynamic correlation between geopolitical conflicts and carbon markets utilizing the Time-Varying Parameter Vector Autoregression (TVP-VAR) technique. The analysis focuses on the interconnectedness between the Geopolitical Risk Index Daily (GPRD) and vital carbon pricing instruments, specifically the Intercontinental Exchange Endex European Union Allowance (ECEFDC), KraneShares California Carbon Allowance Strat ETF (KCCAK), Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange China Emission Allowances Online Transactions (SAXCEA), and S&P Global Ex-Japan LargeMidCap Carbon Efficient Index (SPGJ). The daily fluctuations were traced from May 2021 to July 2023.

Environmental Factors Affecting Monoterpene Emissions from Terrestrial Vegetation.

Monoterpenes are volatile organic compounds that play important roles in atmospheric chemistry, plant physiology, communication, and defense. This review compiles the monoterpene emission flux data reported for different regions and plant species and highlights the role of abiotic environmental factors in controlling the emissions of biogenic monoterpenes and their emission fluxes for terrestrial plant species (including seasonal variations). Previous studies have demonstrated the role and importance of ambient air temperature and light in controlling monoterpene emissions, likely contributing to higher monoterpene emissions during the summer season in temperate regions.

Real-time monitoring of an endogenous Fgf8a gradient attests to its role as a morphogen during zebrafish gastrulation.

Morphogen gradients impart positional information to cells in a homogenous tissue field. Fgf8a, a highly conserved growth factor, has been proposed to act as a morphogen during zebrafish gastrulation. However, technical limitations have so far prevented direct visualization of the endogenous Fgf8a gradient and confirmation of its morphogenic activity.

Effect of glucocorticoids on the development of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis: A meta-analysis of 21 studies and 5174 patients.

COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) remains a high mortality mycotic infection throughout the pandemic, and glucocorticoids (GC) may be its root cause. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of systemic GC treatment on the development of CAPA. We systematically searched the PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Embase databases to collect eligible studies published until 31 December 2022.

CRISPR/Cas9 editing reveals IRF8 regulated gene signatures restraining plasmablast differentiation.

The transcription factor Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is involved in maintaining B cell identity. However, how IRF8 regulates T cell independent B cell responses are not fully characterized. Here, an CRISPR/Cas9 system was optimized to generate -deficient murine B cells and used to determine the role of IRF8 in B cells responding to LPS stimulation.

Clinical characteristics of patients with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage diagnosed by cytological examination of 1000 bronchoalveolar lavage samples.

Background And Aim: Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening condition due to the extravasation of blood in the alveoli, resulting in hypoxemia and even acute respiratory distress syndrome. This study aimed to describe the clinico-radio-pathological profile of patients diagnosed with DAH and classify it into immune and nonimmune DAH.

Methods: This was a retrospective analytical study.