Biological Sciences and Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Palakkad&nbsp;(IIT Palakkad or IIT PKD) is a public autonomous&nbsp;engineering&nbsp;and&nbsp;research&nbsp;institute located in&nbsp;Palakkad,&nbsp;Kerala. It was&nbsp;one of the five new&nbsp;IITs&nbsp;proposed in the&nbsp;2014 Union budget of India. The campus was inaugurated on 3 August 2015. The institute has 94 faculty, 978 students, and 63 non-teaching staffs.

IT Palakkad currently offers four-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) and two years MS programmes in 8 different engineering disciplines including&nbsp;Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil among others.

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IIT Palakkad

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) have been affected by various failures through corrosion which causes economic losses, increased chance of the radiation exposure and environmental risk. One of the major durability issues in reinforced concrete is the corrosion of reinforcement which significantly reduces the life of reinforced concrete. Considering the increasing demand for longer service lives of NPPs and the high cost involved in building and maintaining it, adequate preventive measures should be followed to minimize the corrosion. This review majorly discusses about the mechanism of corrosion of steel in NPP structures with emphasis on the mechanisms relevant to NPPs, possible reasons for the concrete corrosion as well as potential failure happening in NPPs. The majors reason for the concrete corrosion in nuclear power plants are mainly corrosive external and internal environment, thermal and mechanical stress, moisture content, microorganisms and stray electrical currents. The corrosion of NPPs may result in loss of structural integrity and leakage of radioactive material. The review also discusses about various corrosion prevention and protection techniques against concrete corrosion and concludes with an overview of present methods and possible future perspectives used to enhance the efficiency of concrete corrosion mitigation methods with focus of NPPs. © 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2023.

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Corrosion Reviews

Concrete corrosion in nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations and its mitigation techniques: A review

In this work, we report the synthesis of highly stable trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) modified Nb2CTx MXene for the electrochemical detection of anti-tuberculosis drug rifampicin (RIF). The modification of Nb2CTx with TFA enhances the colloidal stability of Nb2CTx and the TFA@Nb2CTx based sensor was able to detect RIF from 100 pM to 1 μM with a limit of detection of (LOD) of 4.8 pM. The developed sensor exhibited superior selectivity in addition to its practical applicability by using pharmaceutical drug sample and human serum samples. This work explores a novel engineering strategy to develop highly stable and aggregation free Nb2CTx MXene for different applications. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry

A novel flexible electrode with highly stable trifluoroacetic acid modified Nb2CTx MXene for the sensitive detection of rifampicin

The determination of neurotransmitters and adrenoreceptor drugs is highly essential due to their specific functions in the human body. In this work, the determination of carvedilol (CAR) and dopamine (DA) was carried out using carbon cloth (CC), which was modified using a facile strategy of drop-casting dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). This induced the formation of functional groups without any loss in the structural integrity of CC. The DMSO modified CC (CC-DMSO) was used for the detection of CAR in the range of 1 nM to 10 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 120 pM. Similarly, the CC-DMSO was able to detect DA in the range of 10 pM to 10 μM with a highly promising LOD of 0.3 pM. A bending test was also carried out on the electrode and it could be seen that only a negligible variation in sensing capability was observed when the electrode was in the bent form. In addition, the detection of CAR and DA was also carried out in real samples such as human serum. This study reveals that this modification strategy can serve as a versatile and flexible sensing platform for the detection of CAR and DA together in real world medical scenarios. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Analytical Methods

A flexible and sensitive electrochemical sensing platform based on dimethyl sulfoxide modified carbon cloth: towards the detection of dopamine and carvedilol

Basophils have been recognized as a characterized cellular player for Th2 immune responses implicated in allergic diseases, but the mechanisms responsible for basophil recruitment to allergic skin remain not well understood. Using a hapten fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-induced allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) mouse model, we show that basophils in FITC-treated IL-3-knockout mice are defective in crossing the vascular endothelium to enter the inflamed skin. By generating mice in which IL-3 is selectively ablated in T cells, we further demonstrate that IL-3 produced by T cells mediates basophil extravasation. Moreover, basophils sorted from FITC-treated IL-3-knockout mice exhibit a decreased expression of integrins Itgam, Itgb2, Itga2b and Itgb7, which are potentially implicated in extravasation process. Interestingly, we observed that these basophils had a reduced expression of retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A2 (Aldh1a2), an enzyme responsible for the production of retinoic acid (RA), and administration of all-trans RA restored partially the extravasation of basophils in IL-3-knockout mice. Finally, we validate that IL-3 induces the expression of ALDH1A2 in primary human basophils, and provide further evidence that IL-3 stimulation induces the expression of integrins particularly ITGB7 in an RA-dependent manner. Together, our data propose a model that IL-3 produced by T cells activates ALDH1A2 expression by basophils, leading to the production of RA, which subsequently induces the expression of integrins crucially implicated in basophil extravasation to inflamed ACD skin.

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Frontiers in Immunology

IL-3 produced by T cells is crucial for basophil extravasation in hapten-induced allergic contact dermatitis

The present study utilized a chemical reaction to create (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized Nb2CTx MXene nanosheets (Nb2CTx-APTES), which were then employed to modify carbon cloth yarn (CCY). The APTES modification of Nb2CTx MXene nanosheets improved the colloidal stability and electrochemical activity, ultimately resulting in the development of a more effective sensing platform for the electrochemical detection of the immunosuppressant drug mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) from artificial human serum samples. The sensor developed in this study exhibited a reliable range of detection for MMF, ranging from 10 to 100 μM, which is consistent with the typical dosage levels prescribed to patients (approximately 18 μM). This capacity to accurately quantify MMF concentrations within this range holds significant potential for improving patient care, particularly for organ transplant surgeries, by enhancing the electrochemical sensing of immunosuppressant drugs. The sensor also showed very high selectivity, reproducibility and good recovery percentage in human serum samples, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 μM. The results of this study are of great importance for biomedical research and clinical applications. © 2023 American Chemical Society

ACS Applied Nano Materials

Carbon Cloth Yarn Modified with Amino-Functionalized Nb2CTx Nanosheets for the Electrochemical Detection of Mycophenolate Mofetil

Detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from cell cultures is important for monitoring different diseases. Here, g-C3N4 (gCN) was incorporated into well-defined clusters of RuW (RuW-gCN) through monomer complexation of Ru-substituted phosphotungstate and melamine for electrochemical detection of H2O2. RuW-gCN exhibited enhanced electrochemical sensing properties in comparison to its constituents due to the synergic effects between RuW and gCN. The characterization of RuW-gCN revealed successful complexation to form the composite in addition to the presence of a layered structure of gCN. The electrochemical sensor made of RuW-gCN was able to detect H2O2 with a detection limit of 46 nM in the linear ranges from 100 nM to 50 μM and from 50 μM to 1 mM. The developed sensor was employed for the selective detection of H2O2 in the presence of analytes like ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine and glucose in addition to being stable even after a week of storage at room temperature. It has also been verified for real sample application by detecting H2O2 produced by cancer cells as a result of an AA trigger. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Ru-W modified graphitic carbon nitride by a monomer complexation synthesis approach from a tailored polyoxometalate: towards electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide released by cells

The phenomenon of ‘T cell exhaustion’, a state of T cell dysfunction observed during chronic infections and cancers, has been a major obstacle in mounting appropriate immune responses against infectious agents or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/tumor-antigen">tumor antigens</a>. The exhausted T cells are characterized by poor effector functions mainly due to the overexpression of inhibitory receptors such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/programmed-death-1-receptor">programmed cell death protein 1</a> (PD-1), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing 3 (TIM3), lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG3), and T cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) domain (TIGIT), commonly referred to as immune checkpoint (ICP) molecules. ICP blockade, especially of PD-1 that can potentially reverse T cell exhaustion and thereby re-stimulate the impaired immune system, is widely used in clinics as a promising therapeutic strategy for various cancers and is more recently being investigated in infectious diseases as well. In fact, cancer patients represent a population of immunocompromised individuals who are more susceptible to infections and associated complications, and thus the need for protective vaccinations against these diseases is of prime importance in this category. When it comes to vaccinating anti-PD-1-treated cancer patients against infectious diseases including COVID-19 and influenza, a special focus should be brought on the revived immune cells, which could be dynamically affected by the antigenic stimulation. However, since cancer patients are not generally included in clinical trials for designing vaccines against infectious diseases, the possible interaction between vaccine immune responses and ICP therapy is largely unexplored. Mechanistically, the reversal of T cell exhaustion by ICP in an otherwise immunocompromised population could be beneficial for the vaccine's efficacy, helping the immune system to mount a robust immune response. Nevertheless, patients with cancer undergoing anti-PD-1 blockade are known to experience immune-related adverse effects (irAEs). The risk of increasing the irAEs due to the overstimulation of the immune system during vaccination is a major concern. Therefore, while routine vaccination is indispensable for the protection of cancer patients, the impact of PD-1 blockade on vaccine responses against infectious agents requires careful consideration to avoid undesirable adverse effects that could impair the efficacy of anti-cancer treatment.

Pharmacology & Therapeutics

The implication of anti-PD-1 therapy in cancer patients for the vaccination against viral and other infectious diseases

Severe obesity accelerates the decline of neutralizing antibodies to COVID-19 vaccines contributing to increased risk of hospitalization from breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections.1 These findings have repercussion on the vaccination policy for SARS-CoV-2 variants and other infectious diseases like influenza in obese population.

Cell Reports Medicine

Obesity negatively impacts maintenance of antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the mainstay of therapy for humoral immune deficiencies and numerous inflammatory disorders. Although the use of IVIG may be supplanted by several targeted therapies to cytokines, the ability of polyclonal normal IgG to act as an effector molecule as well as a regulatory molecule is a clear example of the polyfunctionality of IVIG. This article will address the mechanism of action of IVIG in a number of important conditions that are otherwise resistant to treatment. In this commentary, we will highlight mechanistic studies that shed light on the action of IVIG. This will be approached by identifying effects that are both common and disease-specific, targeting actions that have been demonstrated on cells and processes that represent both innate and adaptive immune responses.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In Practice

Intravenous Immunoglobulin: Mechanism of Action in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Conditions

In the published article, there was an error in the plasmid number and website link. A correction has been made to Materials and methods, Mice. This sentence previously stated: “In order to obtain an Il3 “2 in 1” allele (tm1a, Figure S1), we acquired and modified an IMPC plasmid PG00140_W_3_C02 (https://www.mousephenotype.org/data/genes/MGI:1923649)” The corrected sentence appears below: “In order to obtain an Il3 “2 in 1” allele (tm1a, Figure S1), we acquired and modified an IMPC plasmid ETPG00275_W_2_F02 (https://www.mousephenotype.org/data/genes/MGI:96552)” The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated. Copyright © 2023 Hachem, Marschall, Hener, Karnam, Bonam, Meyer, Flatter, Birling, Bayry and Li.

Corrigendum: IL-3 produced by T cells is crucial for basophil extravasation in hapten- induced allergic contact dermatitis (Frontiers in Immunology, (2023), 14, (1151468), 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1151468)