A pathophysiological hallmark of hypertrophic scarring is the overactivation of fibroblasts, which results in their proliferation along with overproduction of the extracellular matrix. The Gardos channel (KCa3.1) is reported to mediate fibroblast activation in multiple clinical conditions; however, its role in the post-burn hypertrophic skin scar formation is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of KCa3.1 and anti-fibrotic potential of senicapoc, a KCa3.1 inhibitor, in post-burn hypertrophic scar formation. Cell proliferation and expression of hypertrophic markers were investigated in fibroblasts obtained directly from patients within 1–2 weeks of suffering third-degree burns who subsequently developed post-burn hypertrophic scars. The anti-fibrotic effects of senicapoc via KCa3.1 inhibition were assessed using in vitro fibroblasts and in vivo burn models in mice. Increased cell proliferation and expression of hypertrophic markers were identified in burn-wound fibroblasts obtained from patients. The targeted inhibition of KCa3.1 by senicapoc significantly reduced cell proliferation along with the expression of hypertrophic markers in burn-wound fibroblasts from patients. In addition, the anti-scarring effect following senicapoc administration was confirmed using murine burn models in terms of molecular, histological, and visual aspects. This study demonstrated altered cellular and molecular responses of skin fibroblasts from patients after third-degree burns. In addition, this study confirmed an anti-fibrotic effect of KCa3.1 inhibition by senicapoc in both in vitro within burn fibroblasts and in vivo within murine burn models. These results suggest that selective inhibition of KCa3.1 by senicapoc has therapeutic potential to prevent hypertrophic scar formation following burns.

Abstract: Hyperproliferation of fibroblasts and excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition are pathological hallmarks of hypertrophic scars, the most common complication of burn injury. Calpains are Ca2+-dependent proteases and associated with fibroblast proliferation and ECM synthesis, resulting in the development of several fibrotic diseases. However, the role of calpain in the formation of postburn hypertrophic skin scars remains unknown. In the present study, we assessed the expression and activity of calpain in skin fibroblasts obtained directly from patients with third-degree burns who consequently developed postburn hypertrophic scars. The differential activity profiles of calpains were evaluated using short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs). We also evaluated the antifibrotic effect of calpain inhibition by calpeptin in human fibroblasts and animal burn models. Calpain activity and the mRNA and protein levels of calpain-1 and calpain-2 were significantly higher in burn-wound fibroblasts than in normal fibroblasts. Calpain-1 knockdown with siRNA significantly reduced the mRNA and protein expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1, α-smooth muscle actin, type I and type III collagens, fibronectin, and vimentin in burn-wound fibroblasts; however, calpain-2 knockdown with siRNA did not reduce their expression. Selective calpain inhibition by calpeptin significantly reduced the proliferation of burn-wound fibroblasts. Calpain inhibition by calpeptin also significantly reduced the mRNA and protein expression of hypertrophic markers in burn-wound fibroblasts. The molecular, histological, and visual anti-scarring effects of calpeptin were confirmed in murine burn models. The present study delineated a differential mechanism between calpain-1 and calpain-2 in postburn hypertrophic scar formation. Our results indicated that calpain inhibition by calpeptin could constitute a novel treatment strategy for the prevention of hypertrophic scar formation following burn injury.

In the past three decades, some new materials have entered that provide more esthetic options in restoration of posterior region. The most common indirect restoration is the single unit posterior tooth. In today’s dental practice there are many materials and options available to restore a tooth that has been compromised from caries.

Language Identification has gained significant importance in recent years, both in research and commercial market place, demanding an improvement in the ability of machines to distinguish between languages. Although methods like Gaussian Mixture Models, Hidden Markov Models and Neural Networks are used for identifying languages the problem of language identification in time varying noisy environments could not be addressed so far. In this paper the varying noise characteristics are simulated using three approaches (i) Same SNR with different noises (ii) Same noise with different SNRs and (iii) Different SNRs with different noises. A comparative performance analysis of speech enhancement techniques like Minimum Mean Squared Estimation (MMSE), Spectral Subtraction (SS) and Temporal Processing (TP) is presented here. Although these speech enhancement techniques independently may not yield a superior performance, combining the data of all these techniques appears to develop an enhanced identification system. The language identification studies are performed using IITKGP-MLILSC (IIT Kharagpur-Multilingual Indian Language Speech Corpus) database consisting of 27 Indian languages

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a medical treatment in which a combination of a photosensitising drug and visible light causes destruction of selected cells. Over the past two decades, photodynamic therapy has enjoyed a period of laboratory and in the clinic. Although still widely considered to be an experimental technique, its status and value within modern clinical practice continues to grow. The PDT field has, to date, been dominated by a small number of pharmaceutical companies inhabited almost exclusively by clinicians and those involved in fundamental scientific research. True pharmaceutical formulation development has been limited, to some extent, by financial constraints. If PDT is to realise its undoubted potential in clinical practice it is important that awareness of the need for appropriate photosensitiser delivery systems is raised. Accordingly, this review deals with the innovations pertaining to drug delivery systems for photodynamic therapy as disclosed in recent patent literature.

In this study we investigated the rooting ability and the growth performance of different shoot positions and type of the cuttings i.e. soft wood, hard wood, leafy and non leafy shoot cuttings of Tecoma stans (L.) Kunth. The cuttings were collected from mature plants growing in the Chauras Campus of H.N.B. Garhwal University Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. The rooting ability on cuttings was studied under the treatments of 0.0%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5% Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and Indole 3-acidic acid (IAA) treatments. The sprouting and rooting and their growth attribute was influenced among the control, IBA and IAA hormones treatments. The ratio of number of roots to rooted cuttings and length of root to rooted cuttings in the different treatments showed significant (p<0.05) difference between the position and different cutting types. The results of the study suggest that rooting of soft wood shoot cuttings having basal position and leaves could be an effective for rooting in T. stans.

A novel, environmentally friendly seed coating agent for maize which is mainly made up of natural polysaccharide polymer extracted from pollution-free aquatic in the deep sea, and supplemented by other additives. Laboratory and field’s test results showed that the antibacterial rate of this seed coating agent came up to more than 90%, the antifeeding rate of insect pests came up to more than 81%, maize yield was increased by 14.4% and 17.3% than that of conventional seed coating agent and blank control treatment respectively, and the LD50 of this seed costing agent is 10 times more than conventional seed coating. It is more environmentally friendly and safer than the conventional seed coating agent, and it has five major characteristics including antibiosis, insect repellent, enhance tolerance to stress, increasing yield, safety and environmental friendship. Through researching and testing the activity of several specific enzymes (such as POD, CAT, SOD, etc.) and the proportion of chlorophyll in the seedlings of maize, it had been found that the increase of resistance and yield of maize can be mainly chalked up to activating the activity of several kinds of enzyme (such as POD, CAT, SOD, etc.) and increasing the portion of chlorophyll in maize by this seed coating agent.