A perspective on the widening gap between Covishield vaccine doses in India

The Oxford University-AstraZeneca’s vector-based vaccine called Covishield (ChAdOx1 nCoV- 19 Vaccine) is being manufactured and distributed by Serum Institute of India (SII).  National roll out of this vaccine was in a phased manner starting from 16th January 2021. At present, many states are facing shortage of vaccines. Government of India kept changing its policy on dosing gap of Covishield vaccine based on researches. The latest recommendation citing “real-life evidence” from the UK is to extend the two doses of Covishield to 12-16 weeks. This reasonable approach will not only a breathing space for the government but also aids in free up doses for a larger number of people to get their first dose of the vaccine

Electrodeposited MnO2- Carbon Cloth Supercapacitor Electrode Material for High Power Applications

Carbon cloth is a promising new material for the electrodes of supercapacitors, owing to their high surface area, flexibility, high conductivity with chemical stability. In this work, MnO2 was electrodeposited on a commercially available post treated carbon cloth. The MnO2 deposited carbon cloth was examined using HRSEM, which reveals the formation of nanosized irregular structure of MnO2 over the carbon cloth. Electrochemical study was performed which revealed the specific capacitance of 483 Fg–1 at a scan rate of 10mVs–1. The fabricated device exhibited good electrochemical performance with energy density of 22WKg–1 at a power density 330KWKg–1. The results were convincing to use this material for high power applications

IMPACT OF TSUNAMI 2004 IN COASTAL VILLAGES OF NAGAPATTINAM DISTRICT, INDIA

ABSTRACTA quake-triggered tsunami lashed the Nagapattinam coast of southern India on December 26, 2004 at around 9.00 am (IST). The tsunami caused heavy damage to houses, tourist resorts, fishing boats, prawn culture ponds, soil and crops, and consequently affected the livelihood of large numbers of the coastal communities. The study was carried out in the Tsunami affected villages in the coastal Nagapattinam with the help of remote sensing and geographical information science tools. Through the use of the IRS 1D PAN and LISS 3 merged data and quick bird images, it was found that 1,320 ha of agricultural and non-agricultural lands were affected by the tsunami. The lands were affected by soil erosion, salt deposition, water logging and other deposited sediments and debris. The maximum run-up height of 6.1 m and the maximum seawater inundation distance of 2.2 km were observed at Vadakkupoyyur village in coastal Nagapattinam.Pre and Post Tsunami survey on soil quality showed an increase in pH and EC values, irrespectiveof distance from the sea. The water reaction was found to be in alkaline range (> 8.00) in most of the -1wells. Salinity levels are greater than 4 dS m in all the wells except the ring well. The effect of summer rainfall on soil and water quality showed the dilution of soluble salts. Pumping of water has reduced the salinity levels in the well water samples and as well as in the open ponds. Following the 2004 event, it has become apparent to know the relative tsunami hazard for this coastal Nagapattinam. So, the Tsunami hazard maps are generated using a geographical information systems (GIS) approach and the results showed 20.6 per cent, 63.7 per cent and 15.2 per cent of the study area fall under high hazard, medium hazard and low hazard category respectively

Biogenic Control of Manganese Doping in Zinc Sulfide Nanomaterial Using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

Bacteria naturally alter the redox state of many compounds and perform atom-by-atom nanomaterial synthesis to create many inorganic materials. Recent advancements in synthetic biology have spurred interest in using biological systems to manufacture nanomaterials, implementing biological strategies to specify the nanomaterial characteristics such as size, shape, and optical properties. Here, we combine the natural synthetic capabilities of microbes with engineered genetic control circuits toward biogenically synthesized semiconductor nanomaterials. Using an engineered strain of Shewanella oneindensis with inducible expression of the cytochrome complex MtrCAB, we control the reduction of manganese (IV) oxide. Cytochrome expression levels were regulated using an inducer molecule, which enabled precise modulation of dopant incorporation into manganese doped zinc sulfide nanoparticles (Mn:ZnS). Thereby, a synthetic gene circuit controlled the optical properties of biogenic quantum dots. These biogenically assembled nanomaterials have similar physical and optoelectronic properties to chemically synthesized particles. Our results demonstrate the promise of implementing synthetic gene circuits for tunable control of nanomaterials made by biological systems

Multi centre study from Malaysia on student preparedness for clinical learning- Perspectives of lecturers and students from medicine, pharmacy and allied health sciences

Objectives: To determine the characteristics important in health profession students’ preparedness for clinical learning from the perspectives of lecturers and studentsMethods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at International Medical University, Perdana University and Monash University in Malaysia. All lecturers involved in preparing students for clinical learning in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, nutrition and dietetics, chiropractic and Chinese medicine and immediate preclinical students were invited. We explored views regarding student preparedness on knowledge and understanding, willingness to learn, professionalism, communication and interaction, personal attributes and interpersonal skills rated on a 7 point Likert scale in a questionnaire with 62 items.Results: A total of 187 lecturers and 317 students participated. Fifty percent of lecturers had 5-9year of experience. Neither the lecturers nor the students had differentiated or identified specific characteristics as more important over the others but rated all 62 items as important (score >5) for training. The mean score of the 6 themes for lecturers and students respectively were for knowledge and understanding (5.44,5.09), willingness (5.95,5.51), professionalism (5.89,5.49), communication and interaction (5.54,5.34), personal attributes (5.54,5.35) and interpersonal skills (5.54,5.38). Interesting suggestions such as promotion of inter-professional learning among student from different disciplines, case discussions as a team with other professional categories, self reflection for lecturers regarding their attitudes towards students and teaching methods had been stated by students.Conclusions: Both lecturers and students deem that the knowledge and understanding is not the most important characteristic that makes a student better prepared for clinical learning.

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

Background: The EMPA KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population. Methods: EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110. Findings: Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5–2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62–0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16–1·59), representing a 50% (42–58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1). Interpretation: In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease. Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council

Effects of Cyclic Strain and Growth Factors on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Responses

Under physiological and pathological conditions, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) are exposed to different biochemical factors and biomechanical forces. Previous studies pertaining to SMC responses have not investigated the effects of both factors on SMCs. Thus, in our research we investigated the combined effects of growth factors like Bfgf (basic fibroblast growth factor), TGF-β (transforming growth factor β) and PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor) along with physiological cyclic strain on SMC responses. Physiological cyclic strain (10% strain) significantly reduced SMC proliferation compared to static controls while addition of growth factors bFGF, TGF-β or PDGF-AB had a positive influence on SMC growth compared to strain alone. Microarray analysis of SMCs exposed to these growth factors and cyclic strain showed that several bioactive genes (vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, etc.) were altered upon exposure. Further work involving biochemical and pathological cyclic strain stimulation will help us better understand the role of cyclic strain and growth factors in vascular functions and development of vascular disorders