Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease: mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor symptoms and progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are major contributors to PD pathogenesis.

Objectives: This review explores the molecular mechanisms underlying PD, emphasizing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

Mechanistic evaluation of Clerodendrum serratum anti-biofilm potency against Mycobacterium species.

Biofilm formation in Mycobacterium species significantly contributes to their pathogenicity and resistance to conventional antimicrobial therapies, posing a major challenge in clinical management. Plant-derived phytoconstituents have emerged as promising alternatives due to their diverse biological activities, including anti-biofilm properties. Clerodendrum serratum, a medicinal plant known for antimicrobial potential, offers a rich source of such bioactive compounds.

Risk assessment in sociotechnical systems based on functional resonance analysis method and hierarchical fuzzy inference tree.

Effective risk assessment is crucial for ensuring safety and preventing severe consequences in complex socio-technical systems. Traditional probabilistic risk assessment methods have limitations in capturing the systemic complexities and the role of human operators, necessitating the advancement of methodologies. The present study aims to develop a comprehensive risk assessment methodology tailored for complex socio-technical systems, integrating the functional resonance analysis method, soft computing, natural language processing, and multi-criteria decision-making.

Process optimization and partial purification of a highly catalytic xylanase from high-altitude novel Bacillus altitudinis strain for efficient production of functional prebiotic xylooligosaccharides.

This study reports the production, statistical optimization, partial purification and characterization of a highly efficient xylanase from a high-altitude soil bacterium, Bacillus altitudinis XYL17, for the enzymatic valorization of agrowaste. A two-step optimization approach combining Plackett-Burman Design (PBD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) enhanced xylanase production with minimal resource utilization. The partially purified enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 50-55 °C and pH 6.

Curdlan: a microbial biopolymer of multifarious applications for a sustainable environment.

Curdlan, an exopolysaccharide, has gained sufficient attention in recent years due to its potential health benefits. Its unique physico-chemical and rheological properties create an appropriate substitute for diverse applications in agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical industries. This review begins with an overview of bioactive properties, structural characteristics, curdlan biosynthesis, and its production technologies.

MusaDREB1G-Like Protein Modulates Cold and Drought Tolerance in Musa x paradisica.

MusaDREB1G acts as an abiotic stress responsive transcription factor that modulates drought or cold stress tolerance in through multifaceted mechanisms. This study paves the way for engineering stress‐resistant banana crops using MusaDREB1G.

Isolation of a strain and identification of methyltransferase genes conferring the high arsenic volatilizing ability.

Microbial arsenic (As) volatilization plays a significant role in the global As biogeochemical cycle and presents a promising approach for bioremediation. In this study, an autotrophic strain of was isolated from sewage water containing 75 ppb of arsenic, exhibiting a high arsenic metabolism and volatilization rate. This strain tolerated arsenic concentrations ranging from 10 to 500 ppm.

Quantification of Circulating HPV DNA as a Biomarker for Cervical pre-cancer and cancer: A Pilot Study.

Background: Tumor cells release fragments of their DNA into the bloodstream, called cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) or liquid biopsy. In this study, we investigate whether human papillomavirus cell-free tumor DNA (ctHPV DNA) can be detected in patients with cervical cancer or premalignant lesions before and after treatment. We are also investigating whether ctHPV DNA levels correlate with patient or tumor characteristics and outcomes.

A novel approach to enhance resistance to vascular disease by expressing cell-death-inducing fungal elicitors in the xylem tissue.

Constitutive expression of hypersensitive cell-death-inducing effectors secreted by pathogens has proved to be difficult in plants. Herein, xylem-specific promoters (P or P) were utilized to express three cell-death-inducing proteins (FocSIX1A, FocSIX6 or TvSm1) of fungal origin in banana plants. The regenerated plants were not only healthy but also showed improved resistance to fungal (Foc vcg0124 and Foc vcg0125) infection.

Comparison of Single-Staged and Staged Repair of Proximal Hypospadias among Children Attending a Tertiary Care Center of Northern India: A Retro-prospective Analysis.

Introduction: Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation, with proximal hypospadias occurring in 20% of cases and having a higher incidence of complications than distal hypospadias. Surgical reconstruction varies between single-stage and multi-stage procedures, with no consensus on the optimal approach.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of single-stage and staged repairs for proximal hypospadias in a lower middle-income country, focusing on complications, operative time, patient satisfaction, and overall surgical success.

Disseminated Superficial Actinic Porokeratosis in a Mother and Daughter: A Case Report.

Porokeratosis is an autosomal dominant condition of epidermal keratinization. There are many clinical and morphological variants of porokeratosis, the most prevalent of which is disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP), which commonly affects photoexposed areas. Here, we present a 52-year-old woman and her 24-year-old daughter having similar complaints of gradually enlarging, annular hyperpigmented plaques on photoexposed areas suggesting familial transmission.

Novel Cellobiose 2-Epimerase from Thermal Aquatic Metagenome for the Production of Epilactose.

Epilactose is a prebiotic molecule that exerts a bifidogenic effect and increases calcium and iron absorption in the small intestine. This study identifies a novel cellobiose 2-epimerase gene () by investigating metagenomic data generated from a thermal aquatic habitat. The computation of secondary and tertiary structure analysis, molecular docking, and MD simulation analysis indicated the protein CE to be a novel cellobiose 2-epimerase.

Staged Isoperistaltic Gastric Tube Esophageal Replacement in Children: A Decade of Experience.

Context: Esophageal atresia (EA), with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), is a rare congenital anomaly. Long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) and failed primary repair of TEF often necessitate esophageal replacement in children. This study assesses the outcomes of staged isoperistaltic esophageal replacement using a gastric tube, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Analysing accident trends and safety factors in scrap-based steelmaking plants: a case study from Punjab, India (2017-2022).

This study identifies and analyses the primary elements contributing to accidents in scrap-based steelmaking plants in the Punjab state of India as a typical case study. The collected data for 2017-2022 from different scrap-based steelmaking plants were analysed utilizing Boston square matrix, Pareto chart, Ishikawa diagram and Poisson-distribution-based control chart analysis. The results revealed that fatal accidents contributed to around 13% of total accidents.

Recent advances in inhibitor development and metabolic targeting in tuberculosis therapy.

Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, tuberculosis (TB) remained the second leading infectious cause of death globally in 2022, surpassed only by COVID-19. The death rate from TB is influenced by numerous factors that include antibiotic drug resistance, noncompliance with chemotherapy by patients, concurrent infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, delayed diagnosis, varying effectiveness of the Bacille-Calmette-Guerin vaccine, and other factors. Even with the recent advances in our knowledge of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the accessibility of advanced genomic tools such as proteomics and microarrays, alongside modern methodologies, the pursuit of next-generation inhibitors targeting distinct or multiple molecular pathways remains essential to combat the increasing antimicrobial resistance.

Sustainable groundwater management through water quality index and geochemical insights in Valsad India.

Groundwater quality assessment is crucial for sustainable water resource management and public health protection. This study evaluated the Water Quality Index (WQI) of groundwater in the southern part of Gujarat focusing on the Valsad District. Groundwater in this region occurs in porous, unconsolidated formations and fracture formations, both under groundwater table conditions and confined aquifers.

Bowen's Disease of the Labia Majora: A Rare Case.

Bowen's disease is a non-melanocytic in situ squamous cell carcinoma of the epidermis. Having a multifactorial etiology, its incidence has been found to be the highest in Caucasians. It commonly occurs as a solitary lesion in the elderly on the photoexposed areas of the skin, mainly in the head and neck region.

Unearthing novel and multifunctional peptides in peptidome of fermented chhurpi cheese of Indian Himalayan region.

Fermented foods of the Indian Himalaya are unexplored functional resources with high nutritional potential. Chhurpi cheese, fermented by defined native proteolytic lactic acid bacteria of Sikkim was assessed for ACE inhibitory, HOCl reducing, and MPO inhibitory, activity across varying stages of gastrointestinal (GI) digestion. The enhanced bioactivity of Lactobacillus delbrueckii WS4 chhurpi was associated with the generation of bioactive and multifunctional peptides during fermentation and GI digestion.

Comparative assessment of empirical and hybrid machine learning models for estimating daily reference evapotranspiration in sub-humid and semi-arid climates.

Improving the accuracy of reference evapotranspiration (RET) estimation is essential for effective water resource management, irrigation planning, and climate change assessments in agricultural systems. The FAO-56 Penman-Monteith (PM-FAO56) model, a widely endorsed approach for RET estimation, often encounters limitations due to the lack of complete meteorological data. This study evaluates the performance of eight empirical models and four machine learning (ML) models, along with their hybrid counterparts, in estimating daily RET within the Gharb and Loukkos irrigated perimeters in Morocco.

A Giant Nevus Lipomatosus Cutaneous Superficialis Treated With Serial Surgical Excision: A Case Report.

Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis (NLCS) is a rare dermatological condition characterized by ectopic mature adipocytes in the dermis. The classic variety presents multiple clustered skin-colored nodules, while the solitary form is a single papule or nodule. We report the case of a 25-year-old female who presented with multiple cerebriform nodules coalescing into a large plaque over the left iliac region that developed over 17 months.

Distal infusion stomal enteroclysis: An effective technique to manage postoperative enterostomal output.

Background: High output enterostomy leads to malnutrition and fluid/electrolyte loss which may be challenging to manage despite dietary modification, anti-motility, anti-secretory drugs, and parenteral nutrition. Distal infusion stomal enteroclysis (DISE) is an alternative to restore nutritional deficit and replace parenteral nutrition in resource-limited settings where treatment cost and availability of trained nurses are limiting factors.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and feasibility of DISE in managing postoperative enterostomal output.

Spatiotemporal regulation of anther's tapetum degeneration paved the way for a reversible male sterility system in cotton.

Male sterility is an important agronomical trait in self-pollinating plants for producing cost-effective F1 hybrids to harness the heterosis. Still, large-scale development and maintenance of male sterile lines and restoring fertility in F1 hybrids pose significant challenges in plant hybrid breeding. Cotton is a self-pollinating crop and exhibits strong hybrid vigor.