Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic mani-festation of metabolic syndrome. The spread of obesity worldwide in pandemic proportions has led to a rapid rise of NAFLD in developed and developing countrie...Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic mani-festation of metabolic syndrome. The spread of obesity worldwide in pandemic proportions has led to a rapid rise of NAFLD in developed and developing countries alike. There are no approved pharmacological agents to treat steatohepatitis or advanced fibrosis but obeticholic acid recently has shown some promise in phase III trial. Currently, NAFLD is the number one etiology for simultaneous liver and kidney trans-plantation in the USA, second most common indication for liver transplantation (LT) and projected to become number one very soon. LT for NAFLD poses unique challenges, as these patients are generally older, obese and more likely to have a number of metabolic risk factors. Bariatric surgery is an option and can be considered if a structured weight loss program does not achieve the sustained weight loss goal. Comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment and aggres-sive management of comorbid conditions are crucial in the LT evaluation process to improve post-transplant survival. Re-current nonalcoholic steatohepatitis after LT is not uncom-mon, and thus warrants primary and secondary prevention strategies through a multidisciplinary approach. Prevalence of NAFLD in a donor population is a unique and growing concern that limits the access to quality liver grafts.展开更多
In parallel with the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome globally,nonalcoholic fatty liver(NAFL)disease is the most common chronic liver disease in Western countries and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)has becom...In parallel with the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome globally,nonalcoholic fatty liver(NAFL)disease is the most common chronic liver disease in Western countries and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)has become increasingly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.Recent studies have identified NASH as the most rapidly growing indication for liver transplantation(LT).As a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome,NAFL disease can be histologically divided into NAFL and NASH.NAFL is considered a benign condition,with histological changes of hepatocyte steatosis but without evidence of hepatocellular injury or fibrosis.This is distinct from NASH,which is characterized by hepatocyte ballooning and inflammation,and which can progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis,hepatocellular carcinoma,and liver failure.As for any other end-stage liver disease,LT is a curative option for NASH after the onset of decompensated cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.Although some studies have suggested increased rates of sepsis and cardiovascular complications in the immediate postoperative period,the long-term posttransplant survival of NASH cases is similar to other indications for LT.Recurrence of NAFL following LT is common and can be challenging,although recurrence rates of NASH are lower.The persistence or progression of metabolic syndrome components after LTare likely responsible for NASH recurrence in transplanted liver.Therefore,while maintaining access to LT is important,concerted effort to address the modifiable risk factors and develop effective screening strategies to identify early stages of disease are paramount to effectively tackle this growing epidemic.展开更多
Chronic hepatitis B(CHB) is a major global health problem affecting an estimated 350 million people with more than 786000 individuals dying annually due to complications, such as cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocel...Chronic hepatitis B(CHB) is a major global health problem affecting an estimated 350 million people with more than 786000 individuals dying annually due to complications, such as cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Liver transplantation(LT) is considered gold standard for treatment of hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related liver failure and HCC. However, post-transplant viral reactivation can be detrimental to allograft function, leading to poor survival. Prophylaxis with high-dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin(HBIG) and anti-viral drugs have achieved remarkable progress in LT by suppressingviral replication and improving long-term survival. The combination of lamivudine(LAM) plus HBIG has been for many years the most widely used. However, life-long HBIG use is both cumbersome and costly, whereas long-term use of LAM results in resistant virus. Recently, in an effort to develop HBIG-free protocols, high potency nucleos(t)ide analogues, such as Entecavir or Tenofovir, have been tried either as monotherapy or in combination with low-dose HBIG with excellent results. Current focus is on novel antiviral targets, especially for covalently closed circular DNA(ccc DNA), in an effort to eradicate HBV infection instead of viral suppression. However, there are several other molecular mechanisms through which HBV may reactivate and need equal attention. The purpose of this review is to address post-LT HBV reactivation, its risk factors, underlying molecular mechanisms, and recent advancements and future of anti-viral therapy.展开更多
In agriculture,insect pests must be identified at the initial stage of infestation to avoid their spread in the field.Leaf folders(cnaphalocrocis medinalis)and yellow stemborers(scirpophaga incertulas)are destructive ...In agriculture,insect pests must be identified at the initial stage of infestation to avoid their spread in the field.Leaf folders(cnaphalocrocis medinalis)and yellow stemborers(scirpophaga incertulas)are destructive pests of paddy crops,which are causing severe yield loss.Manual identification of insect pests in the crop is time-consuming,tedious,and ineffective.This paper focuses on a light trap based four-layer deep neural network with search and rescue optimization(DNN-SAR)method to identify leaf folders and yellow stemborers.Light traps are designed to lure the insects in the paddy field and the images of trapped insects are analyzed using the proposed detection method.In the DNN-SAR,images are contrastenhanced using deer hunting algorithm,impulse noise is removed with fast average group filter,and segmented using social ski-driver optimization.The search and rescue optimization algorithm is used for the selection of optimal weights in the deep neural network,which has improved the convergence rate,lowered the complexity of learning,and improved the accuracy of detection.The proposed method outperformed the existing methods and achieved 98.29%pest detection accuracy.展开更多
The production and productivity of rice has been challenged due to biotic and abiotic factors.Bacterial blight(BB)disease,caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae,is one of the important biotic stress factors,which redu...The production and productivity of rice has been challenged due to biotic and abiotic factors.Bacterial blight(BB)disease,caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae,is one of the important biotic stress factors,which reduces rice production by 20%-50%.The deployment of host plant resistance is the most preferred strategy for management of BB disease,and breeding disease resistant varieties remains a very economical and effective option.However,it is difficult to develop rice varieties with durable broad-spectrum resistance against BB using conventional approaches alone.Modern biotechnological tools,particularly the deployment of molecular markers,have facilitated the cloning,characterization and introgression of BB resistance genes into elite varieties.At least 46 BB resistance genes have been identified and mapped from diverse sources till date.Among these,11 genes have been cloned and characterized.Marker-assisted breeding remains the most efficient approach to improve BB resistance by introducing two or more resistance genes into target varieties.Among the identified genes,xa5,xa13 and Xa21 are being widely used in marker-assisted breeding and more than 70 rice varieties or hybrid rice parental lines have been improved for their BB resistance alone or in combination with genes/QTLs conferring tolerance to other stress.We review the developments related to identification and utilization of various resistance genes to develop BB resistant rice varieties through marker-assisted breeding.展开更多
A facile, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of carbaryl in its formulations, water and grain （rice and wheat） samples with newly synthesised reagent. The proposed meth...A facile, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of carbaryl in its formulations, water and grain （rice and wheat） samples with newly synthesised reagent. The proposed method was based on the alkaline hydrolysis of carbaryl pesticide and thus resulted 1-naphthol was coupled with diazotised 4,4＇-methylene-bis-m-nitroaniline in basic medium （pH 9） to give red colored product having λmax 480 nm for diazonium method （DM） or 1-naphthol reacts with 4,4＇-methylene-bis-m-nitroaniline in the presence of oxidising agent potassium dichromate （K2Cr2O7） to give red colored product having λmax 510 nm for oxidation method （OM）. The formation of colored derivatives with the coupling agent is instantaneous and stable for 48 h （DM） and 32 h （OM） respectively. Beer＇s law was obeyed in the concentration range of 0.2--10.0 μg·mL ^-1 for DM and 0.2--0.150 μg·mL^-1 for OM. The proposed methods are sensitive, easy to operate and permitted for the determination of carbaryl with detection limits of 0.028 μg·mL^-1 for DM and 0.024 μg·mL^-1 for OM respectively. The experimental results indicate that the procedure can eliminate the fundamental interferences caused by other pesticides and non-target ions, which made the methods more sensitive and selective. The method was applicable to the determination of carbaryl residue in water and food grain samples up to μg level.展开更多
A simple, specific, precise, sensitive and rapid reverse phase-HPLC method was developed for determination of ketorolac enantiomers, a potent nonnarcotic analgesic in pharmaceutical formulations. The method was develo...A simple, specific, precise, sensitive and rapid reverse phase-HPLC method was developed for determination of ketorolac enantiomers, a potent nonnarcotic analgesic in pharmaceutical formulations. The method was developed on a chiral AGP column. Mobile phase was 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer （pH 4.5）： lsopropanol （98：2, v/v）, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with run time of 15 min. Ultraviolet detection was made at 322 nm. The linearity range was 0.02 10 μg/mL for each of the enantiomers. The mobile phase composition was systematically studied to find the optimum chromatographic conditions. Validation of the method under the conditions selected showed that it was selective and precise and that the detector response was linear function of ketorolac.展开更多
Since the advent of direct acting antiviral(DAA) agents, chronic hepatitis C virus(HCV) treatment has evolved at a rapid pace. In contrast to prior regimen involving ribavirin and pegylated interferon, these newer age...Since the advent of direct acting antiviral(DAA) agents, chronic hepatitis C virus(HCV) treatment has evolved at a rapid pace. In contrast to prior regimen involving ribavirin and pegylated interferon, these newer agents are highly effective, well-tolerated, have shorter course of therapy and safer essentially in all HCV patients including those with advanced liver disease and following liver transplantation. Clinicians caring for HCV-infected patients on the liver transplant(LT) waitlist are often faced with a dilemma whether to treat HCV infection before or after liver transplantation. Sustained virological response(SVR) rates following HCV treatment may improve hepatic function sufficiently enough to negate the need for LT in certain patients. On the other hand, the decrease in MELD without improvement in quality of life in certain patients may lead to delay or dropout from potentially curative LT surgery list. In this context, our review focuses on the approach to and optimal timing of DAA-based treatment of HCV infection in LT candidates in the peri-transplant period.展开更多
In this paper, a bivariate stochastic process with Poisson postulates has been considered to model the incomings, outgoings and mutual transfers of investments between and within the portfolios during an epoch of time...In this paper, a bivariate stochastic process with Poisson postulates has been considered to model the incomings, outgoings and mutual transfers of investments between and within the portfolios during an epoch of time “t”. Stochastic differential equations were obtained from the simple differential difference equations during the epoch of time “Δt”. The notion of bivariate linear birth, death and migration process has been utilized for measuring various statistical characteristics among the investments of Long and Short terms. All possible fluctuations in the investment flow have been considered to explore more meaningful assumptions with contemporary marketing environments. Mathematical relations for proposed statistical measures such as average sizes and variances of short term and long-term investments along with the correlation coefficient between them are derived after obtaining the related differential equations. Numerical illustrations were provided for better understanding of the developed models with practitioner’s point of view.展开更多
文摘Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic mani-festation of metabolic syndrome. The spread of obesity worldwide in pandemic proportions has led to a rapid rise of NAFLD in developed and developing countries alike. There are no approved pharmacological agents to treat steatohepatitis or advanced fibrosis but obeticholic acid recently has shown some promise in phase III trial. Currently, NAFLD is the number one etiology for simultaneous liver and kidney trans-plantation in the USA, second most common indication for liver transplantation (LT) and projected to become number one very soon. LT for NAFLD poses unique challenges, as these patients are generally older, obese and more likely to have a number of metabolic risk factors. Bariatric surgery is an option and can be considered if a structured weight loss program does not achieve the sustained weight loss goal. Comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment and aggres-sive management of comorbid conditions are crucial in the LT evaluation process to improve post-transplant survival. Re-current nonalcoholic steatohepatitis after LT is not uncom-mon, and thus warrants primary and secondary prevention strategies through a multidisciplinary approach. Prevalence of NAFLD in a donor population is a unique and growing concern that limits the access to quality liver grafts.
文摘In parallel with the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome globally,nonalcoholic fatty liver(NAFL)disease is the most common chronic liver disease in Western countries and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)has become increasingly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.Recent studies have identified NASH as the most rapidly growing indication for liver transplantation(LT).As a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome,NAFL disease can be histologically divided into NAFL and NASH.NAFL is considered a benign condition,with histological changes of hepatocyte steatosis but without evidence of hepatocellular injury or fibrosis.This is distinct from NASH,which is characterized by hepatocyte ballooning and inflammation,and which can progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis,hepatocellular carcinoma,and liver failure.As for any other end-stage liver disease,LT is a curative option for NASH after the onset of decompensated cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.Although some studies have suggested increased rates of sepsis and cardiovascular complications in the immediate postoperative period,the long-term posttransplant survival of NASH cases is similar to other indications for LT.Recurrence of NAFL following LT is common and can be challenging,although recurrence rates of NASH are lower.The persistence or progression of metabolic syndrome components after LTare likely responsible for NASH recurrence in transplanted liver.Therefore,while maintaining access to LT is important,concerted effort to address the modifiable risk factors and develop effective screening strategies to identify early stages of disease are paramount to effectively tackle this growing epidemic.
基金the Canadian Cancer Society, Environment-Cancer Fundthe Canadian Institutes of Health Research for operating research grant support
文摘Chronic hepatitis B(CHB) is a major global health problem affecting an estimated 350 million people with more than 786000 individuals dying annually due to complications, such as cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Liver transplantation(LT) is considered gold standard for treatment of hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related liver failure and HCC. However, post-transplant viral reactivation can be detrimental to allograft function, leading to poor survival. Prophylaxis with high-dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin(HBIG) and anti-viral drugs have achieved remarkable progress in LT by suppressingviral replication and improving long-term survival. The combination of lamivudine(LAM) plus HBIG has been for many years the most widely used. However, life-long HBIG use is both cumbersome and costly, whereas long-term use of LAM results in resistant virus. Recently, in an effort to develop HBIG-free protocols, high potency nucleos(t)ide analogues, such as Entecavir or Tenofovir, have been tried either as monotherapy or in combination with low-dose HBIG with excellent results. Current focus is on novel antiviral targets, especially for covalently closed circular DNA(ccc DNA), in an effort to eradicate HBV infection instead of viral suppression. However, there are several other molecular mechanisms through which HBV may reactivate and need equal attention. The purpose of this review is to address post-LT HBV reactivation, its risk factors, underlying molecular mechanisms, and recent advancements and future of anti-viral therapy.
文摘In agriculture,insect pests must be identified at the initial stage of infestation to avoid their spread in the field.Leaf folders(cnaphalocrocis medinalis)and yellow stemborers(scirpophaga incertulas)are destructive pests of paddy crops,which are causing severe yield loss.Manual identification of insect pests in the crop is time-consuming,tedious,and ineffective.This paper focuses on a light trap based four-layer deep neural network with search and rescue optimization(DNN-SAR)method to identify leaf folders and yellow stemborers.Light traps are designed to lure the insects in the paddy field and the images of trapped insects are analyzed using the proposed detection method.In the DNN-SAR,images are contrastenhanced using deer hunting algorithm,impulse noise is removed with fast average group filter,and segmented using social ski-driver optimization.The search and rescue optimization algorithm is used for the selection of optimal weights in the deep neural network,which has improved the convergence rate,lowered the complexity of learning,and improved the accuracy of detection.The proposed method outperformed the existing methods and achieved 98.29%pest detection accuracy.
文摘The production and productivity of rice has been challenged due to biotic and abiotic factors.Bacterial blight(BB)disease,caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae,is one of the important biotic stress factors,which reduces rice production by 20%-50%.The deployment of host plant resistance is the most preferred strategy for management of BB disease,and breeding disease resistant varieties remains a very economical and effective option.However,it is difficult to develop rice varieties with durable broad-spectrum resistance against BB using conventional approaches alone.Modern biotechnological tools,particularly the deployment of molecular markers,have facilitated the cloning,characterization and introgression of BB resistance genes into elite varieties.At least 46 BB resistance genes have been identified and mapped from diverse sources till date.Among these,11 genes have been cloned and characterized.Marker-assisted breeding remains the most efficient approach to improve BB resistance by introducing two or more resistance genes into target varieties.Among the identified genes,xa5,xa13 and Xa21 are being widely used in marker-assisted breeding and more than 70 rice varieties or hybrid rice parental lines have been improved for their BB resistance alone or in combination with genes/QTLs conferring tolerance to other stress.We review the developments related to identification and utilization of various resistance genes to develop BB resistant rice varieties through marker-assisted breeding.
文摘A facile, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of carbaryl in its formulations, water and grain （rice and wheat） samples with newly synthesised reagent. The proposed method was based on the alkaline hydrolysis of carbaryl pesticide and thus resulted 1-naphthol was coupled with diazotised 4,4＇-methylene-bis-m-nitroaniline in basic medium （pH 9） to give red colored product having λmax 480 nm for diazonium method （DM） or 1-naphthol reacts with 4,4＇-methylene-bis-m-nitroaniline in the presence of oxidising agent potassium dichromate （K2Cr2O7） to give red colored product having λmax 510 nm for oxidation method （OM）. The formation of colored derivatives with the coupling agent is instantaneous and stable for 48 h （DM） and 32 h （OM） respectively. Beer＇s law was obeyed in the concentration range of 0.2--10.0 μg·mL ^-1 for DM and 0.2--0.150 μg·mL^-1 for OM. The proposed methods are sensitive, easy to operate and permitted for the determination of carbaryl with detection limits of 0.028 μg·mL^-1 for DM and 0.024 μg·mL^-1 for OM respectively. The experimental results indicate that the procedure can eliminate the fundamental interferences caused by other pesticides and non-target ions, which made the methods more sensitive and selective. The method was applicable to the determination of carbaryl residue in water and food grain samples up to μg level.
基金University Grant Commission,New Delhi for extending their financial support
文摘A simple, specific, precise, sensitive and rapid reverse phase-HPLC method was developed for determination of ketorolac enantiomers, a potent nonnarcotic analgesic in pharmaceutical formulations. The method was developed on a chiral AGP column. Mobile phase was 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer （pH 4.5）： lsopropanol （98：2, v/v）, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with run time of 15 min. Ultraviolet detection was made at 322 nm. The linearity range was 0.02 10 μg/mL for each of the enantiomers. The mobile phase composition was systematically studied to find the optimum chromatographic conditions. Validation of the method under the conditions selected showed that it was selective and precise and that the detector response was linear function of ketorolac.
文摘Since the advent of direct acting antiviral(DAA) agents, chronic hepatitis C virus(HCV) treatment has evolved at a rapid pace. In contrast to prior regimen involving ribavirin and pegylated interferon, these newer agents are highly effective, well-tolerated, have shorter course of therapy and safer essentially in all HCV patients including those with advanced liver disease and following liver transplantation. Clinicians caring for HCV-infected patients on the liver transplant(LT) waitlist are often faced with a dilemma whether to treat HCV infection before or after liver transplantation. Sustained virological response(SVR) rates following HCV treatment may improve hepatic function sufficiently enough to negate the need for LT in certain patients. On the other hand, the decrease in MELD without improvement in quality of life in certain patients may lead to delay or dropout from potentially curative LT surgery list. In this context, our review focuses on the approach to and optimal timing of DAA-based treatment of HCV infection in LT candidates in the peri-transplant period.
文摘In this paper, a bivariate stochastic process with Poisson postulates has been considered to model the incomings, outgoings and mutual transfers of investments between and within the portfolios during an epoch of time “t”. Stochastic differential equations were obtained from the simple differential difference equations during the epoch of time “Δt”. The notion of bivariate linear birth, death and migration process has been utilized for measuring various statistical characteristics among the investments of Long and Short terms. All possible fluctuations in the investment flow have been considered to explore more meaningful assumptions with contemporary marketing environments. Mathematical relations for proposed statistical measures such as average sizes and variances of short term and long-term investments along with the correlation coefficient between them are derived after obtaining the related differential equations. Numerical illustrations were provided for better understanding of the developed models with practitioner’s point of view.
