Consensus statement for implantation and follow-up of cardiac implantable electronic devices in India

Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) procedures are being done by many operators/centers and it is projected that this therapy will remarkably increase in India in the coming years. This document by IHRS, aims at guiding the Indian medical community in the appropriate use and method of implantation with emphasis on implanter training and center preparedness to deliver a safe and effective therapy to patients with cardiac rhythm disorders and heart failure.     

Effects of female preference intensity on the permissiveness of sexual trait polymorphisms

Recent developments in sexual selection theory suggest that on their own, mate preferences can promote the maintenance of sexual trait diversity. However, how mate preferences constrain the permissiveness of sexual trait diversity in different environmental regimes remains an open question. Here, we examine how a range of mate choice parameters affect the permissiveness of sexual trait polymorphism under several selection regimes. We use the null model of sexual selection and show that environments with strong assortative mating significantly increase the permissiveness of sexual trait polymorphism. We show that for a given change in mate choice parameters, the permissiveness of polymorphism changes more in environments with strong natural selection on sexual traits than in environments with weak selection. Sets of nearly stable polymorphic populations with weak assortative mating are more likely to show accidental divergence in sexual traits than sets of populations with strong assortative mating. The permissiveness of sexual trait polymorphism critically depends upon particular combinations of natural selection and mate choice parameters.     

Complete Nucleotide Sequence of Ageratum enation virus and an Alphasatellite Infecting a New Host Glycine max in India

During 2011, leaf crumpling, yellowing and stunting were observed on soya bean (Glycine max) in Himachal Pradesh, India. PCR‐based detection confirmed the presence of a begomovirus. The viral genome was amplified by rolling circle amplification, cloned and sequenced. The complete nucleotide sequence of DNA‐A showed highest nucleotide identity to an isolate of Ageratum enation virus infecting a weed Ageratum conyzoides. In addition, a DNA molecule was found which shared 95% nucleotide identity with an alphasatellite infecting ageratum. Neither beta satellite nor DNA‐B was detected in the infected samples.     

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells Through Nd‐Doping of Mesostructured TiO2

Block‐copolymer templated chemical solution deposition is used to prepare mesoporous Nd‐doped TiO₂ electrodes for perovskite‐based solar cells. X‐ray diffraction and photothermal deflection spectroscopy show substitutional incorporation into the TiO₂ crystal lattice for low Nd concentration, and increasing interstitial doping for higher concentrations. Substitutional Nd‐doping leads to an increase in stability and performance of perovskite solar cells by eliminating defects and thus increasing electron transport and reducing charge recombination in the mesoporous TiO₂. The optimized doping concentration of 0.3% Nd enables the preparation of perovskite solar cells with stabilized power conversion efficiency of >18%.     

Sensitivity and Specificity of Cardiac Tissue Discrimination Using Fiber-Optics Confocal Microscopy

Disturbances of the cardiac conduction system constitute a major risk after surgical repair of complex cases of congenital heart disease. Intraoperative identification of the conduction system may reduce the incidence of these disturbances. We previously developed an approach to identify cardiac tissue types using fiber-optics confocal microscopy and extracellular fluorophores. Here, we applied this approach to investigate sensitivity and specificity of human and automated classification in discriminating images of atrial working myocardium and specialized tissue of the conduction system. Two-dimensional image sequences from atrial working myocardium and nodal tissue of isolated perfused rodent hearts were acquired using a fiber-optics confocal microscope (Leica FCM1000). We compared two methods for local application of extracellular fluorophores: topical via pipette and with a dye carrier. Eight blinded examiners evaluated 162 randomly selected images of atrial working myocardium (n = 81) and nodal tissue (n = 81). In addition, we evaluated the images using automated classification. Blinded examiners achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 99.2±0.3% and 98.0±0.7%, respectively, with the dye carrier method of dye application. Sensitivity and specificity was similar for dye application via a pipette (99.2±0.3% and 94.0±2.4%, respectively). Sensitivity and specificity for automated methods of tissue discrimination were similarly high. Human and automated classification achieved high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating atrial working myocardium and nodal tissue. We suggest that our findings facilitate clinical translation of fiber-optics confocal microscopy as an intraoperative imaging modality to reduce the incidence of conduction disturbances during surgical correction of congenital heart disease.     

Synthesis and application of β-carbolines as novel multi-functional anti-Alzheimer’s disease agents

The design, synthesis and assessment of β-carboline core-based compounds as potential multifunctional agents against several processes that are believed to play a significant role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, are described. The activity of the compounds was determined in Aβ self-assembly (fibril and oligomer formation) and cholinesterase (AChE, BuChE) activity inhibition, and their antioxidant properties were also assessed. To obtain insight into the mode of action of the compounds, HR-MS studies were carried out on the inhibitor-Aβ complex formation and molecular docking was performed on inhibitor-BuChE interactions. While several compounds exhibited strong activities in individual assays, compound 14 emerged as a promising multi-target lead for the further structure-activity relationship studies.     

A comparative study of predation of three aquatic heteropteran bugs on Culex quinquefasciatus larvae

The aquatic bugs Anisops bouvieri Kirkaldy 1704 (Heteroptera: Notonectidae), Diplonychus (=Sphaerodema) rusticus Fabricius 1781, and Diplonychus annulatus Fabricius 1781 (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) are common members of the freshwater insect communities of the East Calcutta Wetlands along the eastern fringe of Kolkata, India. These insects are established predators of dipteran larvae and other organisms. A comparative account of their predatory efficiency was made using larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus Say 1823 in the laboratory. It was revealed that a single adult of A. bouvieri could consume 28–34 fourth-instar mosquito larvae per day, D. rusticus 11–87 fourth-instar mosquito larvae per day, and D. annulatus 33–122 fourth-instar mosquito larvae per day, depending upon the prey and predator densities. The mean predation rate of A. bouvieri and D. annulatus remained stable over a 6-day feeding period but varied for D. rusticus. The predatory impact (PI) values were 14.77–17.31, 46.9–55.73, and 61.74–72.72 larvae/day for A. bouvieri, D. rusticus, and D. annulatus, respectively. Compared to these, the clearance rate (CR) value range was 9.06–13.25 for A. bouvieri, 13.64–15.99 for D. rusticus, and 13.50–16.52 larvae l/day/predator for D. annulatus. The values of mutual interference, “m,” remained 0.06–0.78 for A. bouvieri, 0.003–0.25 for D. rusticus, and 0.09–0.27 for D. annulatus, and did not vary between the days. The difference in predatory efficiency, CR, and PI values varied significantly among the three predators, indicating the possible difference in the function as predators occupying the same guild. It can be assumed that these predators play an important role in larval population regulation of mosquitoes and thereby impart an effect on species composition and interactions in the aquatic insect communities of the wetlands and other similar habitats where they occur.