Regulation of the apico-basolateral trafficking polarity of the homologous copper-ATPases ATP7A and ATP7B

The homologous P-type copper-ATPases (Cu-ATPases) ATP7A and ATP7B are the key regulators of copper homeostasis in mammalian cells. In polarized epithelia, upon copper treatment, ATP7A and ATP7B traffic from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) to basolateral and apical membranes, respectively. We characterized the sorting pathways of Cu-ATPases between TGN and the plasma membrane and identified the machinery involved. ATP7A and ATP7B reside on distinct domains of TGN in limiting copper conditions, and in high copper, ATP7A traffics to basolateral membrane, whereas ATP7B traverses common recycling, apical sorting and apical recycling endosomes en route to apical membrane. Mass spectrometry identified regulatory partners of ATP7A and ATP7B that include the adaptor protein-1 complex. Upon knocking out pan-AP-1, sorting of both Cu-ATPases is disrupted. ATP7A loses its trafficking polarity and localizes on both apical and basolateral surfaces in high copper. By contrast, ATP7B loses TGN retention but retained its trafficking polarity to the apical domain, which became copper independent. Using isoform-specific knockouts, we found that the AP-1A complex provides directionality and TGN retention for both Cu-ATPases, whereas the AP-1B complex governs copper-independent trafficking of ATP7B solely. Trafficking phenotypes of Wilson disease-causing ATP7B mutants that disrupts putative ATP7B-AP1 interaction further substantiates the role of AP-1 in apical sorting of ATP7B.

In Vivo Toxicological Analysis of the ZnFe2O4@poly(tBGE-alt-PA) Nanocomposite: A Study on Fruit Fly

Recently, the use of hybrid nanomaterials (NMs)/nanocomposites has widely increased for the health, energy, and environment sectors due to their improved physicochemical properties and reduced aggregation behavior. However, prior to their use in such sectors, it is mandatory to study their toxicological behavior in detail. In the present study, a ZnFe2O4@poly(tBGE-alt-PA) nanocomposite is tested to study its toxicological effects on a fruit fly model. This nanocomposite was synthesized earlier by our group and physicochemically characterized using different techniques. In this study, various neurological, developmental, genotoxic, and morphological tests were carried out to investigate the toxic effects of nanocomposite on Drosophila melanogaster. As a result, an abnormal crawling speed of third instar larvae and a change in the climbing behavior of treated flies were observed, suggesting a neurological disorder in the fruit flies. DAPI and DCFH-DA dyes analyzed the abnormalities in the larva's gut of fruit flies. Furthermore, the deformities were also seen in the wings and eyes of the treated flies. These obtained results suggested that the ZnFe2O4@poly(tBGE-alt-PA) nanocomposite is toxic to fruit flies. Moreover, this is essential to analyze the toxicity of this hybrid NM again in a rodent model in the future.

Exploration of Teratogenic and Genotoxic Effects on Model Organism Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster is one of the crucial in vivo models in terms of analyzing the toxicity of various unknown chemicals. Every part of the fly serves as a model in metabolic and therapeutic approaches. Genotoxic and teratogenic compounds are exposed to Drosophila through the oral route. Further, the toxicity of genotoxic compounds is analyzed in Drosophila's gut, hemolymph, and phenotype. The toxicity of teratogen compounds is also analyzed using a Drosophila embryo. The current chapter summarizes several techniques that are used to detect the genotoxicity and teratogenicity of any unknown compound in this model.

Daphnia magna as a Model Organism to Predict the Teratogenic Effect of Different Compounds

For aquatic ecosystem Daphnia magna is evolving as a model organism to check the teratogenicity of numerous compounds. D. magna can be easily cultured in the laboratory, and the teratogen effect of several compounds can be easily studied. The developmental stages are well studied in D. magna. All the developmental stages are transparent so the defect can be easily accessed. So, the postembryonic developmental changes can be easily studied after the exposure with teratogen. More importantly, D. magna also have a swimming behavioral phenotype. The behavioral defect can be easily accessed after teratogen exposure. The current chapter summarizes numerous protocols associated with embryo and adult staining and adult behavioral assays that can be used to access the teratogenicity of any unknown compound.

In Vivo Wound Healing in Drosophila melanogaster and Mouse Models: Synergistic Effect of Bovine Serum Albumin and Graphene Quantum Dots

Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based biomaterials have garnered significant attention for their remarkable potential in wound healing, primarily due to their effective biological actions in addressing the skin inflammation phase and mitigating hypoalbuminemia. Motivated by these attributes, a nanocomposite hydrogel is developed by blending BSA with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), complemented by the incorporation of graphene quantum dot (GQD). The FTIR study establishes a hydrogen-bonding interaction between the -NH2 groups of BSA and the -OH group of PVA. Microscopic investigations establish that the dispersion of GQDs with an average size of 22.5 nm results in smoothening of the surface of the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite hydrogel reveals excellent swelling attributes of about 920% in a period of 6 h due to its optimum cross-linking condition. Furthermore, the hydrogel exhibits a water vapor transmission rate of 8.45 mg cm-2 h-1, akin to the transmission rate of wounded skin. The PVA/BSA@GQD nanocomposite's antibacterial efficacy is evaluated against Morganella morganii bacteria, showing 99% killing, while its cytotoxicity assay against HeLa cells exhibited a minimum cell viability of 76% at a 20 μM concentration, which is ideal for a wound dressing material. In vivo wound healing investigations are conducted on Drosophila, showcasing a 100% wound surface closure within 4 h. This outcome is further substantiated through in vivo studies involving mice, where complete re-epithelialization is achieved within a span of 13 days. The combined results establish the PVA/BSA@GQD nanocomposite as a potential wound dressing material.

Protein interactions, molecular docking, antimicrobial and antifungal studies of terpyridine ligands

Resistance to antibiotics/antibacterials/antifungals in pathogenic microbes has been developing over the past few decades and has recently become a commonplace public-health peril. Thus, alternative nontoxic potent antibiotic agents are covertly needed to control antibiotic-resistant outbreaks. In an effort to combat the challenges posed by the co-occurrence of multidrug resistance, two terpyridine ligands 4'-(4-N,N'-dimethylaminophenyl)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (L1) and 4'-(4-tolyl)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (L2) have been designed, prepared and confirmed their structure by spectral studies. Thereafter, antimicrobial assay was performed against gram positive and negative bacterial strains along with fungal strains. Both compounds L1 and L2 exhibited remarkable inhibitory activities against bacteria, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at MIC values 6.25 and 3.125 µg/ml, respectively. In addition, in silico molecular docking studies were ascertained with bacterial DNA gyrase and fungal demethylase. Furthermore, both L1 and L2 could bind Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) protein and binding interaction has been studied with the help of UV-Visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. While fluorescence of BSA unperturbed in the presence of L2, an addition of L1 to the solution of BSA resulted significant quenching. The binding constant calculations at different temperature confirmed that the fluorescence quenching between BSA and L1 is predominantly static in nature. The toxicity of L1 and L2 was checked using Drosophila melanogaster. The toxicity analysis suggest both the dyes are non-cytotoxic in nature.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Spectroscopic features of a perylenediimide probe for sensing amyloid fibrils: in vivo imaging of Aβ-aggregates in a Drosophila model organism

Customised perylenediimide (PDI) chromophores find diverse applications not only as chemosensors, inorganic-organic semiconductors, photovoltaics, photocatalysts, etc., but also in protein surface engineering, bio-sensors and drug delivery systems. This study focuses on the interaction of a custom synthesized phenylalanine derivatized perylenediimide (L-Phe-PDI) dye with a model protein, insulin, and its structurally distinct fibrils to develop fluorescence sensors for fibrillar aggregates and in vivo imaging applications. Detailed photophysical studies revealed that L-Phe-PDI gets aggregated in the presence of insulin and causes emission quenching at pH 7.4, which in the absence of insulin occurs only at pH ∼2. During in vitro incubation of insulin to its fibrils, the fluorescence intensity of the L-Phe-PDI probe is enhanced to ∼150 fold in a two-stage manner, manifesting the pathways of structural transformation to β-sheet rich mature fibrils. The in vivo sensing has further been validated in living models of the Aβ-mutant Drosophila fly, which is known to develop progressive neurodegeneration comparable to that of human brains with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Bioimaging of the L-Phe-PDI treated Aβ-mutant Drosophila documented the blood-brain/blood-retina-barrier cross-over ability of L-Phe-PDI with no toxic effects. Comparison of the fibrillar images from the brain and eye region with the reference thioflavin T (ThT) probe established the uptake of L-Phe-PDI by the aggregate/fibrillar moieties. The samples from L-Phe-PDI-treated flies apparently displayed reduced fibrillar spots, a possible case of L-Phe-PDI-induced disintegration of fibrillar aggregates at large, an observation substantiated by the improved phenotype activities as compared to the untreated flies. The findings reported both in vitro and in vivo with the L-Phe-PDI material for the first time open up avenues to explore the therapeutic potential of custom-designed PDI derivatives for amyloid fibril sensors and bioimaging.

Polymeric curcumin nanospheres for lysozyme aggregation inhibition, antibacterial, and wound healing applications

The present study reports highly stable polymeric nanoparticles comprising curcumin and polyvinylpyrrolidone, and then conjugated with gold nanoparticles, resulting in C-PVP and C-PVP-Au, respectively. The synthesized conjugates C-PVP and C-PVP-Au were investigated for amyloid aggregation inhibition activity, antimicrobial activity, and wound healing applications. The anti-amyloidogenic capacity of nanoconjugates were studied for model protein, hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL). The ThT binding assay, fibril size measurement, and electron microscopy results revealed that conjugates suppress fibrillogenesis in HEWL. The highest amyloid inhibition activity obtained against C-PVP and C-PVP-Au was 31 μg.mL-1 and 30 μg.mL-1, respectively. The dissociation activity for amyloid aggregation was observed against Q-PVP and Q-PVP-Au at 29 μg.mL-1 and 27 μg.mL-1, respectively. The antibacterial studies show significant efficacy against Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the presence of C-PVP and C-PVP-Au. The substantial antibacterial potential of C-PVP@PVA and C-PVP-Au@PVA membranes shows promising wound healing applications. The PVA membranes with nanoparticles promote the antibacterial activity and wound healing activity in the Drosophila model. C-PVP-Au@PVA membrane healed the wound faster than the C-PVP@PVA, and it can be used for better results in wound healing. Thus, C-PVP-Au and C-PVP have higher bioavailability and stability and can act as multifunctional therapeutic agents for amyloid-related diseases and as wound healing agents. Graphical abstract C-PVP, and C-PVP-Au conjugates for inhibition of HEWL aggregation, antibacterial and wound healing activity.

Supramolecular assembly of coumarin 7 with sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin for biomolecular applications

Coumarins, in general, exhibit a wide range of photophysical characteristics and are highly sensitive to their microenvironment, and, therefore, their fluorescence characteristics have attracted immense attention as sensors in chemical and biological systems. In the present study, the supramolecular interaction of a bichromophoric coumarin dye, namely, Coumarin 7 (C7) with sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE7βCD) macrocyclic host at different pH conditions has been investigated by using optical spectroscopic techniques such as absorption, steady-state and time-resolved emissions, and circular dichroism measurements and compared with that of βCD. Considerable enhancement in the fluorescence intensity and lifetime of C7 on complexation with SBE7βCD proposes that non-radiative processes like TICT behavior are strictly hindered due to the confinement in the host cavity experienced by the C7 dye. The increase in the rotational correlation time evaluated from the fluorescence anisotropy decay kinetics further confirms the formation of tightly bound inclusion complexes. The binding constant values reveal that the monocationic form of dye at pH 3 shows ∼3 times stronger interaction with SBE7βCD than the neutral form of dye at pH 7 due to strong electrostatic cation-anion interaction. SBE7βCD:C7 exhibits an improved photostability and an upward pK a shift of 0.4 unit compared to the contrasting downward pK a shift of 0.5 with the βCD. The enhanced fluorescence yield and increased photostability have been exploited for bioimaging applications, and better images were captured by staining the Drosophila fly gut with the SBE7βCD:C7 complex. The enhancement in the binding interaction and the emission intensity were found to be responsive to external stimuli such as small competitive binders or metal ions and nearly quantitative dissociation of the complex was demonstrated to release the dye and would find stimuli-responsive applications.

Rapid Colorimetric and Fluorometric Discrimination of Maleic Acid vs. Fumaric Acid and Detection of Maleic Acid in Food Additives

An anthracene thiazole based Schiff base L was synthesized and employed for fluorescence switch-on detection of maleic acid in aqueous DMSO. The non-fluorescent L (10^-5 M) showed an instantaneous and selective fluorescence enhancement at 506 nm upon interaction with maleic acid (10^-5 M). Other potential carboxylic acids (10^-5 M), such as malic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, cinnamic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, oxalic acid and malonic acid failed to alter the chromo-fluorogenic properties of L. Probe L can be employed to detect maleic acid down to 2.74 × 10^-6 M. The probe L showed good linearity from 2.97 to 6.87 µM. Analytical utility of L was examined by detecting maleic acid in various food additives and drosophila larvae.

Coumarin-Based Noncytotoxicity Fluorescent Dye for Tracking Actin Protein in In-Vivo Imaging

Drosophila shares maximum homology with the human disease-causing genes and thus has been employed to evaluate the toxicity of numerous compounds. Further, its distinguishable developmental stages, easy rearing, and short lifespan make it a perfect model organism to study toxicological properties of any new compound. The current study evaluates the toxic effect of a coumarin-based organic fluorescent dye, 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-8-((4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)thiazol-2-ylimino)methyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (CTC), using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism by studying different behavioral, screening, and staining techniques using Oregon-R flies. For toxicity assessment, one control fly group was compared with various flies that had been subjected to fed CTC dye orally of different concentrations (0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5 μg/mL). The 3rd instar larvae were checked for the larvae crawling assay. The crawling assay demonstrates that the speed and path of the treated larvae are almost equal to the control ones, which signifies the non-neurotoxic property of CTC. Trypan blue assay further suggested that the dye does not cause any major damage to the gut. Phalloidin staining revealed that the actin composition remains unaltered even after the CTC treatment, while the DAPI staining experiment indicates that CTC does not cause any nuclear damage to fly gut cells. However, at a concentration of 5 μg/mL, CTC causes developmental delay. The flies hatched after larval treatment of CTC do not show any structural defects, suggesting clearly that CTC is also nongenotoxic to Drosophila. The current studies propose CTC as a noncytotoxic and nongenotoxic dye to track actin protein in the model organism D. melanogaster.

Current aspects of organoid technology for biomaterial toxicity analysis

Organoids provide us an opportunity to understand how diseases affect cellular physiology, human tissues or organs. They are indespensible tools for biomaterial toxicity analysis, drug discovery and regenerative medicine.

In Vivo Toxicological Analysis of MnFe2O4@poly(tBGE-alt-PA) Composite as a Hybrid Nanomaterial for Possible Biomedical Use

Nanocomposites have significantly contributed to biomedical science due to less aggregation behavior and enhanced physicochemical properties. This study synthesized a MnFe₂O₄@poly(tBGE-alt-PA) nanocomposite for the first time and physicochemically characterized it. The obtained hybrid nanomaterial was tested in vivo for its toxicological properties before use in drug delivery, tissue engineering fields, and environmental applications. The composite was biocompatible with mouse fibroblast cells and hemocompatible with 2% RBC suspension. This nanocomposite was tested on Drosophila melanogaster due to its small size, well-sequenced genome, and low cost of testing. The larvae's crawling speed and direction were measured after feeding. No abnormal path and altered crawling pattern indicated the nonappearance of abnormal neurological disorder in the larva. The gut organ toxicity was further analyzed using DAPI and DCFH-DA dye to examine the structural anomalies. No apoptosis and necrosis were observed in the gut of the fruit fly. Next, adult flies were examined for phenotypic anomalies after their pupal phases emerged. No defects in the phenotypes, including the eye, wings, abdomen, and bristles, were found in our study. Based on these observations, the MnFe₂O₄@poly(tBGE-alt-PA) composite may be used for various biomedical and environmental applications.

A Quick and Laidback Way to Detect the Internal Structure of the Drosophila Eye: An Alternative to Cryosectioning

Immunofluorescence techniques have been a great tool to chase the structure, localization, and function of many proteins within a cell. Drosophila eye is widely used as a model to answer various questions. However, the complex sample preparation and visualization methods restrict its use only with an expert's hand. Thus, an easy and hassle-free method is in need to broaden the use of this model even with an amateur's hand. The current protocol describes an easy sample preparation method using DMSO to image the adult fly eye. The brief description of sample collection, preparation, dissection, staining, imaging, storage, and handling has been described over here. For readers, the possible problems that might arise during the execution of the experiment have been described with their possible reason and solutions. The overall protocol reduces the use of chemicals and shortens the sample preparation time to only 3hours, which is significantly less in comparison to other protocols.

Characterization and identification of inulin from Pachyrhizus erosus and evaluation of its antioxidant and in-vitro prebiotic efficacy

Inulin is the polysaccharide obtained from different plant sources i.e. Wheat, Chicory, Jerusalem artichoke and Dahlia. In this study, Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) is used to isolate inulin using the microwave heating. The 1H NMR study reveals the presence of fructose and glucose unit which is the backbone of inulin. Further FT-IR and Raman confirmed the functional groups present in inulin. The UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis depicts the purity of the isolated inulin. The shape and size of the extracted inulin was determined from scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering appeared as flat-flakes and 135 nm respectively. X-ray diffractogram showed semi-crystalline nature suggesting the stability of the extracted inulin. The isolated inulin has phenolic and flavonoid content of 8.1804 ± 6.26 mg gallic acid equivalent/g and 14.387 ± 4.192 mg rutin equivalent/g of dried polysaccharide respectively. The inhibition percentage of DPPH and FRAP of isolated inulin were found to be 75.74 ± 4.5% and 0.11 ± 0.007 respectively. The isolated inulin promotes the growth of probiotics like Enterococcus faecium (MZ540315) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (MZ540317). All the analysis suggest the isolated inulin has good prebiotic potential as the commercially available one. The current study proposes that isolated inulin can be used as a prebiotic in the future.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05619-6.

Inulin-A polysaccharide: Review on its functional and prebiotic efficacy

The intake of dietary fibers in the regular diet results in boosting the gut microbiome and health of the host in several ways. The misapprehension about such dietary fibers of being only an indigestible product has changed into indispensable ingredient that has to be included in every healthy diet. Inulin is considered to be an important naturally occurring fructan classified under such dietary fibers. The present review intends to provide a thorough knowledge on inulin in maintaining the gut microbiome of the human, supported by several studies conducted on the Drosophila melanogaster, mice, rat models as well as effect on human being. The extraction process of inulin has also been described in this review that would provide a brief knowledge about its stability and the conditions that have been optimized by the researchers in order to obtain a stable product. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In order to meet the consumers demand, the food industries are trying to come up with new products that could eventually replace or lower the utilization of medically avail drugs and satisfy consumers by providing them with health benefits. The availability of functional food is the new trend that can improve health of the consumers with minimal use of the drugs. Therefore, inulin as a prebiotic can be utilized to produce several functional food products that could promote health benefits to the consumers. Apart from this, the review also justifies the efficacy of inulin as a fat replacer, stabilizer, and humectant in cosmetic industries. Research also suggests that inulin has also been used as nanoparticles in pharmaceutical industries. The overall review also depicts the different extraction process of inulin from different sources.

Synthesis of First Coumarin Fluorescent Dye for Actin Visualization

Selective fluorescence imaging of actin protein hugely depends on the fluorescently labeled actin-binding domain (ABD). Thus, it is always a challenging task to image the actin protein (in vivo or in vitro) directly with an ABD-free system. To overcome the limitations of actin imaging without an ABD, we have designed a facile and cost-effective red fluorescent coumarin dye 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-8-(4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)thiazol-2-ylimino)methyl-2H-chromen-2-one (CTC) for actin binding. The selective binding of the dye was investigated using the gut and eye of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster and C2C12 and SCC-9 cell lines. Our result suggests two major advantages of CTC over the dyes presently used for imaging actin proteins. First, the dye can bind to actin efficiently without any secondary intermediate. Second, it is much more stable at room temperature and exhibits excellent photostability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fluorescent dye that can bind to the actin protein without employing any secondary intermediate/actin-binding domain. These findings could pave the way for many biologists and physicists to successfully employ the CTC dye for imaging and tracking actin proteins by fluorescence microscopy in various in vivo and in vitro systems.

Characterization of exopolysaccharide derived from Enterobacter ludwigii and its possible role as an emulsifier

Enterobacter ludwigii is an oral growing bacteria responsible for teeth blackening. It can form biofilm. The exopolysaccharide (EPS) cluster associated with biofilm formation was isolated using ethanol precipitation and the formaldehyde-sodium hydroxide method. The chemical characterization of EPS was done using UV spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of  EPS has revealed the presence of carbon > boron > nitrogen > phosphorous > calcium > sulfur > iron > potassium > magnesium. The carbon content was quite high (72.72-77.63%) in the EPS due to polysaccharide composition. The study showed the presence of different monosaccharides glucose (16.91%), galactose (4.25%), mannose (4.04%), and xylose (8.06%) as the major components of EPS. It appears such as thin filaments with three-dimensional structure, compact, irregular lumps and stacked flakes of polysaccharides. The EPS was also examined using different 1D, 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques (1H NMR, 13C NMR, 1H-1H COSY, 1H-13C HSQC, 1H-13C HMBC) with different deuterated solvents (Protic and aprotic solvents for exchangeable protons), which showed eight distinguished monomers (seven confirmed by HSQC spectrum and one from 1H spectrum). Semi-crystalline nature and thermal stability were confirmed by X-ray diffractogram and differential scanning calorimetry analysis, respectively. The EPS further shows antioxidant potential in a concentration-dependent manner. It can form a stable emulsion against different edible oil that makes it promising alternative for use in food, and pharmaceutical industries.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03279-z.

Artists on Social Media: an Analysis of Personal Branding Strategies employed by Indian Independent Artists on Social Media Platforms

The main objective of this paper is to understand the different tactics and platforms used by independent artists successfully to promote themselves as a brand and garner attention to their music, building a fan base. The platforms include social media and other platforms and also understand the most favorable platform for promoting oneself as an artist. This paper also deals with the different strategies they use to promote themselves. The first part of the paper includes the evolution of the music industry, the rise of streaming services, and independent artists. The revenue models of famous streaming platforms and how much they earn through streaming. The second part deals with the definition of personal branding, the different subsections involved in branding, and the strategies in general used by independent music artists on different social media platforms. Organizations’ expenditure on online promotional activities is constantly and dynamically increasing in tandem with the increasing level of digital media consumption. Simultaneously, with increasing expenditures on digital promotion, it is clear that the effectiveness of activities carried out in the electronic space in its current form is decreasing. As a result, when promoting products and services has never been more difficult in the new market situation, organizations have begun to seek alternative methods of influencing consumers.

Treating the Onset of Diabetes Using Probiotics Along with Prebiotic from Pachyrhizus erosus in High-Fat Diet Fed Drosophila melanogaster

The increasing mortality due to hypertension and hypercholesterolemia is directly linked with type-2 diabetes. This shows the lethality of the disease. Reports suggest that the prebiotics along with probiotics help in lowering the effects of type-2 diabetes. Prebiotic like inulin is best known for its anti-diabetic effect. The current study utilizes jicama extract as prebiotic source of inulin along with the bacterial strains with probiotic properties (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Enterococcus faecium) for treating type-2 diabetes in high-fat diet-induced Drosophila melanogaster model. The high-fat diet-induced Drosophila showed deposition of lipid droplets and formation of micronuclei in the gut. The larva and adult treated with probiotics and synbiotic (probiotic + prebiotic- inulin) comparatively reduced the lipid deposition and micronuclei number in the gut. The increased amount of triglyceride in the whole body of the fatty larva and adult indicated the onset of diabetes. The overexpression of insulin-like genes (Dilp 2) and (Dilp 5) confirmed the insulin resistance, whereas the expression was reduced in the larva and adult supplemented with probiotics and synbiotic. The reactive oxygen species level was reduced with the supplementation of probiotics. The weight, larva size, crawling speed and climbing were also altered in high-fat diet-induced Drosophila melanogaster. The study confirmed the effects of probiotics and synbiotic in successfully lowering diabetes in Drosophila. The study also proved the anti-diabetic potential of the probiotics. Further, it was also confirmed that the probiotics work better in the presence of prebiotic.

AB1416 WHAT IS THE FULL ECONOMIC COST OF DELAYED DIAGNOSIS OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS IN THE UK?

Background

Axial Spondyloarthritis (AS) is an umbrella term for both inflammatory conditions known as Ankylosing Spondylitis and Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis. AS generally develops in younger people. Symptoms typically start in the late teenage years to early twenties (with the average age of onset being 24). Hence this condition has a life-long impact, which could increase if left untreated. Average delay to diagnosis is over eight years after the appearance of symptoms. There are currently 220,000 people in the UK living with this painful and progressive form of inflammatory arthritis. While people wait for a diagnosis, many withdraw from socialising and find it harder to establish careers, form relationships, and start families. In addition to healthcare costs, that include multiple visits to GPs, prescription of unnecessary medication and extensive use of over the counter painkillers, there are intangible costs that have large impacts on patients and society. For example, quality of life for the patient, their earning and saving for retirement capacity, social care costs.

Objectives

To determine the full economic cost, including medical productively loss and other out of pocket related costs of delayed diagnosis for AS in the UK.

Methods

We are building an economic Markov model to determine a total cost per patient per year of delay. The model will project disease progression forward in time-steps with feedback loops to allow movement in states back and forth. Transition states within each time-step will be constructed according to the various stage of the disease and they will be used primarily to demonstrate an assessment of the costs in the time taken to a confirmed diagnosis. The model will capture symptoms and impacts of AS leading up to that diagnosis and before initiation of treatment. Assuming the one-year maximum ‘gold standard’ time to diagnosis that NASS would like to see to, the sum of costs prior to this in each consecutive cycle will be estimated.

The inputs will consist of the average delay to diagnosis per gender and age group, the health resources utilisation, the cost of managing the symptoms, cost related to productivity losses and any other parameters and costs reflecting real resources required to diagnose, confirm, treat, cope with, manage and accommodate AS symptoms. Data include anonymised diagnosed patient data with the pathways they followed pre-diagnosis shared under strict confidentiality data sharing agreement from the secondary health units participating in the project. Cost data gathered from national sources and research into AS, NHS unit costs reports, productivity related reports and interviews with people with AS and clinicians providing valuable insight into the condition. The model will be validated by experts in the field and sufferers of AS to ensure accurate representation of actual events.

Results

The results will be provided at the conference and this is work in progress. A preliminary analysis of anonymised data of the pathway of 513 people towards an AS diagnosis show that the delay on female patients is slightly longer (mean of 9.85 years) compared to male patients (mean of 9.39 years). In both genders the delay is higher if the patient present symptom after the age of 31 years increasing the mean of previous age groups by 5 to 9 yrs.

Table 1.FemaleMaleAge GroupObs.Mean95% CIObs.Mean95% CI0-1511-21.000.00, 13.7116-30493.592.69, 4.49144.004.013.45, 4.5731-455011.729.64, 13.80161.009.618.58, 10.6546-602418.1713.05, 23.2860.0015.9013.30, 18.5061+317.330.00, 52.5819.0028.5821.14, 36.02

Conclusion

The results will help the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) to build an economic case for earlier diagnosis. The interactive model will support decision making in the future by allowing assumptions to be changed e.g., changing prices over time; varying wage rates depending on staff and skill mix; and the anticipated scale of savings in actual practice.

References

[1]Standfield et al. (2014). Markov Modelling and DES in health care: a comparison. Journal of technology Assessment in Health C 30 (2) 166-172

Acknowledgements

With thanks to the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society for commissioning this research and special thanks to Dale Webb and Jill Hamilton for their valuable support to contact clinician and sufferers of AS and for accessing necessary data. Importantly, thank you to the clinicians and sufferers of AS for their contribution to the research.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Aminoglycoside treatment alters hearing-related genes and depicts behavioral defects in Drosophila

The hearing organ of Drosophila is present within the second segment of antennae. The hearing organ of Drosophila (Johnston's organ [JO]) shares much structural, developmental, and functional similarity with the vertebrate hearing organ (Organ of Corti). JO is evolving as a potential model system to examine the hearing-associated defects in vertebrates. In the vertebrates, aminoglycosides like gentamicin, kanamycin, and neomycin have been known to cause defects in the hearing organ. However, a complete mechanism of toxicity is not known. Taking the evolutionary conservation into account the current study aims to test various concentrations of aminoglycoside on the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. The current study uses the oral route to check the toxicity of various aminoglycosides at different concentrations (50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 μg ml^{- 1} ). In Drosophila, many foreign particles enter the body through the gut via food. The aminoglycoside treated third instar larvae show defective crawling and sound avoidance behavior. The adult flies release lower amounts of acetylcholine esterase and higher amounts of reactive oxygen species than control untreated animals, accompanied by defective climbing and aggressive behavior. All these behavioral defects are further confirmed by the altered expression level of hearing genes such as nompC, inactive, nanchung, pyrexia. All the behavioral and genetic defects are reported as a readout of aminoglycoside toxicity.

Drosophila melanogaster as a model to understand the mechanisms of infection mediated neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases

The innate immune system primarily gets triggered by microbe infiltration, injury, stress, aging, and brain disorders. The hyperactivation of the innate immune system and neuroinflammatory reactions contributes to chronic age-related neurodegeneration. The mechanism for activation of the immune pathway is conserved between Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) and human being. Thus, D. melanogaster can serve as a model organism to decipher the cellular and molecular mechanism between infection and neurodegenerative diseases. In D. melanogaster, prolonged protective, excessive neuroinflammatory responses in the brain lead to neurodegeneration through antimicrobial peptides mediated neurotoxicity. The prolonged inflammation in the microglial cells helps in the progression of neurodegenerative disease. Therefore, the connection between inflammatory mechanisms in the brain and neurodegeneration pathogenesis in D. melanogaster is systematically reviewed.

Anti-amyloidogenic property of gold nanoparticle decorated quercetin polymer nanorods in pH and temperature induced aggregation of lysozyme

Quercetin is an abundant plant polyphenol effective against several diseases due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Herein, we report novel polymeric quercetin nanorods and the former decorated with gold nanoparticles for the first time. The prepared conjugates quercetin-polyvinylpyrrolidone (Q-PVP) and quercetin-polyvinylpyrrolidone-gold nanoparticles (Q-PVP-Au) were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. The surface morphology of conjugates was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. These conjugates exhibit harmonized rod-like morphology with a narrow size distribution. Furthermore, the quercetin conjugates with nanorod morphology exhibited enhanced and prolonged drug release over a long period. The synthesized conjugates were investigated for lysozyme aggregation kinetics. ThT binding assay, fibril size measurement, and electron microscopy results revealed that conjugates could suppress fibrillogenesis in lysozyme. The highest amyloid aggregation inhibition activity (IC₅₀) was obtained against Q-PVP and Q-PVP-Au at 32 μg mL⁻¹ and 30 μg mL⁻¹ respectively. The amyloid aggregate disintegration activity (DC₅₀) obtained against Q-PVP and Q-PVP-Au was 27 μg mL⁻¹ and 29 μg mL⁻¹ respectively. The present quercetin conjugates exhibit enhanced bioavailability and stability. They were potent inhibitors of lysozyme aggregation that may find applications as a therapeutic agent in neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Q-PVP, and Q-PVP-Au conjugates for inhibition of HEWL aggregation.

Fibril-induced neurodegenerative disorders in an Aβ-mutant Drosophila model: therapeutic targeting using ammonium molybdate

The ability of polyanionic molybdate to inhibit and degrade protein fibrils both in vitro (insulin protein) and in vivo (Drosophila fly model) has been demonstrated. We establish the disappearance of fibrillar structures and recovery from neurodegenerative disorders in molybdate-treated Aβ42-mutant Drosophila flies as compared to the untreated ones, corroborating the therapeutic ability of ammonium molybdate towards the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Reactive oxygen species: the root cause of nanoparticle-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing technology in the twenty-first century. Nanomaterials are extensively used in numerous industries including cosmetics, food, medicines, industries, agriculture, etc. Along with its wide application toxicity is also reported from studies of various model organisms including Drosophila. The toxicity reflects cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and teratogenicity. The current study correlates the toxicity as a consequence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated owing to the presence of nanoparticles with the living cell. ROS mainly includes hydroxyl ions, peroxide ions, superoxide anions, singlet oxygen, and hypochlorous acids. An elevated level of ROS can damage the cells by various means. To protect the body from excess ROS, living cells possess a set of antioxidant enzymes which includes peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. If the antioxidant enzymes cannot nullify the elevated ROS level than DNA damage, cell damage, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and uncontrolled cell regulations occur resulting in abnormal physiological and genotoxic conditions. Herewith, we are reporting various morphological and physiological defects caused after nanoparticle treatment as a function of redox imbalance.

Fe3O4 coated guargum nanoparticles as non-genotoxic materials for biological application

The current study aims to check various behavioural, developmental, cytotoxic, and genotoxic effects of Fe₃O₄-GG nanocomposite (GGNCs) on Drosophila melanogaster. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were prepared by the chemical co-precipitation method and cross-linked with guargum nanoparticles to prepare the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and FTIR techniques. To investigate the biomolecular interaction, GGNCs was further tagged with Fluorescein isothiocyanate. Various concentrations of nanocomposites were mixed with the food and flies were allowed to complete the life cycle. The life cycle of the flies was studied as a function of various concentrations of GGNCs. The 1st instar larvae after hatching from the egg start eating the food mixed with GGNCs. The 3rd instar larvae were investigated for various behavioural and morphological abnormalities within the gut. The 3rd instar larva has defective crawling speed, crawling path, and more number of micronuclei within the gut. Similarly, in adult flies thermal sensitivity, climbing behaviour was found to be altered. In adult flies, a significant reduction in body weight was found which is further correlated with variation of protein, carbohydrate, triglyceride, and antioxidant enzymes. Altogether, the current study suggests GGNCs as a non-genotoxic nanoparticle for various biological applications.

Environmental cue affects the hearing-related behaviors of Drosophila melanogaster by targeting the redox pathways

Environmental cues like noise, pressure, and circadian rhythm can affect the hearing ability of human beings. Nevertheless, the complex physiology of the human being does not allow us to understand how these factors can affect hearing and hearing-related behaviors. Conversely, these effects can be easily checked using the hearing organ of Drosophila melanogaster, the Johnston organ. In the current study, the Drosophila was exposed to challenging environments like noise, low pressure, and altered circadian rhythm. The hearing organ of larvae, as well as adults, was analyzed for hearing-related defects. In the third instar larva, the cell deaths were detected in the antenna imaginal disc, the precursor of Johnston's organ. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes were also detected in the adult antennae of environmentally challenged flies. The ultrastructure of the antennae suggests the presence of abundant mitochondria in the scolopidia of control. Fewer amounts of mitochondria are found in the environmentally challenged adult antennae. In adults, various hearing-related behaviors were analyzed as a readout of functionality of the hearing organ. Analysis of climbing, aggressive, and courtship behaviors suggests abnormal behavior in environmentally challenged flies than the control. The current study suggests that the environmental cues can alter hearing-related behaviors in Drosophila. The methods used in this study can be used to monitor the environmental pollution or to study the effect of alteration of noise, pressure, and circadian rhythm on hearing-related behaviors taking Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Graphical abstract.

Borderline serous ovarian neoplasm: case report of a diagnostic challenge in intraoperative frozen sections

Surface epithelial tumors of the ovary account for 25% of all ovarian neoplasms. When composed predominantly of fibrous stroma, with glands and cysts forming a minor component, their appearance on imaging is often complex; cystic- to solid-appearing masses often raise suspicion of a malignant tumor. An accurate frozen histopathological diagnosis of a benign cystadenofibroma of this tumor can facilitate appropriate surgical management. However, it is equally important to diagnose areas of borderline changes/malignancy arising in these tumors, particularly when large or complex surface and inner papillary areas with multilayering or stratification are seen microscopically. We present here a case of bilateral complex ovarian mass in a 68-year-old woman, which was equivocal for malignancy on radiology, per operative gross examination as well as on frozen section evaluation. It was finally diagnosed as a borderline serous tumor (BOT) in a cystadenofibroma on histopathological examination.

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Borderline tumors among surface epithelial tumors with a prominent stromal component are uncommon.

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Adhesions & bilaterality with a prominent stromal component result in radiological interpretation of a complex ovarian mass.

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The Risk of Malignancy Index is usually <200 if the CA125 is low.

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Intraoperative surgical decisions are based on frozen section examination which are challenging.

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A benign tumor diagnosis may results in inadequate surgery, additional interventions later and possible tumor spread.

Waveguide design optimization for compact silicon photonic ferroelectric phase shifters

In this paper, a new, to the best of our knowledge, design for a ferroelectric BaTiO₃ cladded silicon photonic phase shifter with very small switching length for compact photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is proposed. The proposed design is based on the choice of a waveguide core with suitably slanted sidewalls in order to favor the desired polarization of ferroelectric cladding and to make guided modes spread toward the ferroelectric cladding with the consequence of further reduction in switching length compared to the conventional (rectangular core) structure. The proposed design also gives the additional benefit of having the identical switching length for both TE and TM modes with the same configuration. These results offer a viable strategy to realize compact non-volatile phase shifters for reconfigurable and programmable PICs.

Facile transdermal delivery of upconversion nanoparticle by iontophoresis-responsive magneto-upconversion oleogel

The effective application of upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) as a photo-medicine in skin cancers critically depends on a facile transdermal delivery process through topical route. Herein, combining two non-invasive techniques, i.e. skin permeation enhancement and alternating current (AC) induced iontophoresis, we report a controlled transdermal delivery of UCNP with a time advantage. We have synthesized a series of soybean oil-based oleogels termed as magneto-upconversion (MU) gels by incorporating a fixed amount of UCNP and different proportions of magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) using stearic acid-based gelator as a skin permeation enhancing agent. The microstructures of the synthesized MU gels were characterized by microscopy, X-Ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy. A detailed analysis of the electrical properties revealed a gradual increase in the electrical conductance in the MU gel series with increasing proportion of MNP. Such trend of conductance imparted proportional iontophoretic response within the respective MU gels, validated through the release of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride as a model drug preloaded within the oleogels. Through a series of skin permeation experiment using pig ear skin as animal model, we established that the UCNP was able to permeate the whole thickness of the skin within as little as 3 h, only when the two conditions, i.e. the presence of skin permeation enhancer and iontophoresis were met. Within the same time, UCNP permeation was enhanced by the presence of MNP in the MU gels upto 2 folds. Our study developed a rational method for the transdermal delivery of any electrically non-conducting nanoparticle in a faster and tunable way.

Oleogel-mediated transdermal delivery of white emitting NaYF4 conjugated with Rose Bengal for the generation of reactive oxygen species through NIR-upconversion

The transdermal route for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the inner skin tissues for non-invasive photodynamic therapy; though constitutes a desired modality for treating skin cancer, the success has been limited due to the insurmountable nature of the stratum corneum (SC). In this context, for the first time we report the localization of photosensitizer-conjugated upconversion (UC) particles to the deeper dermal region by overcoming SC through an oleogel-mediated transport mechanism for NIR-induced photodynamic production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We developed soybean oil and stearic acid based oleogels by incorporating photoluminescent white light emitting NaYF₄ (WEN) upconversion (UC) particles conjugated with Rose Bengal (RB), termed as WEN-RB-G. Similarly, we fabricated another type of oleogel by incorporating Li⁺ doped WEN based UC particles (RB conjugated), with 10 times more photoluminescence intensity, termed as LiWEN-RB-G. Based on the skin permeation enhancing effect of the constituents of the oleogels, we demonstrated the permeation of these two types of conjugated particles in microgram scale through the full thickness of the pig ear skin model within 48 h. The localization of the conjugated particles throughout the skin tissue including dermal and epidermal region was confirmed by confocal microscopy. We also conducted a comparative assessment on WEN-RB-G and LiWEN-RB-G for the suitability of ROS generation and bioimaging under NIR activation. The 'proof of principle' concept reported here is expected to frame a gateway in future for NIR-induced photo-theranostics targeting skin cancer.

Enhanced mechanical properties of hBN-ZrO2 composites and their biological activities on Drosophila melanogaster: synthesis and characterization

In this study, six compositions in the system [x(h-BN)-(100 - x)ZrO2] (10 ≤ x ≤ 90) were synthesized by a bottom up approach, i.e., the solid-state reaction technique. XRD results showed the formation of a novel and main phase of zirconium oxynitrate ZrO(NO3)2 and SEM exhibited mixed morphology of layered and stacked h-BN nanosheets with ZrO2 grains. The composite sample 10 wt% h-BN + 90 wt% ZrO2 (10B90Z) showed outstanding mechanical properties for different parameters, i.e., density (3.12 g cm-3), Young's modulus (10.10 GPa), toughness (2.56 MJ m-3), and maximum mechanical strength (227.33 MPa). The current study further checked the in vivo toxicity of composite 10B90Z and composite 90B10Z using Drosophila melanogaster. The composite 10B90Z showed less cytotoxicity in this model, while the composite 90B10Z showed higher toxicity in terms of organ development as well as internal damage of the gut mostly at the lower concentrations of 1, 10, and 25 μg mL-1. Altogether, the current study proposes the composite 10B90Z as an ideal compound for applications in biomedical research. This composite 10B90Z displays remarkable mechanical and biological performances, due to which we recommend this composition for various biomedical applications.