Edge Foundation

Serotonin is one of the crucial neurotransmitters that plays a vital role in human physiology and normally exists in human serum in the 200 nM to 1.1 μM range along with a wide variety of interfering agents. This makes it a quite challenging task to detect serotonin in an efficient, electrochemical way at ambient temperature in a relatively low concentration (nanomolar) of abundance. So, this work is focused on developing an enzyme-less electrochemical sensing platform that can detect serotonin with a very low limit of detection (LOD) in a highly sensitive and selective way. For this purpose, carbon quantum dots (CQDs), one of the advanced carbonaceous materials, were prepared from a natural source (corn seeds) and applied to make a nanocomposite sensing platform with an electrochemically deposited NiWO4 thin film on FTO-coated glass substrate. The prepared materials were thoroughly characterized by using sophisticated instrumentation techniques. The fabricated NiWO4/CQD nanocomposite thin film was then subjected to detailed electrochemical probing toward serotonin sensing. Fascinatingly, the developed sensor prototype yielded an LOD of 134.0 nM without compromising the sensitivity (16.9 μA μM–1 cm–2), which makes it well capable for detecting serotonin that is present in human serum in the nM to μM order.

ABSTRACT: Phytosomes are lipid based vesicular nanocarries that encapsulate phytoconstituents within phospholipid layers, designed to overcome the limitations of herbal extracts such as inadequate lipid solubility, restricted permeability, low bioavailability, and chemical instability, while improving the absorption, stability, and therapeutic efficacy of phytoconstituents or herbal extracts in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic formulations. The review aims to provide an overview of phytosomes, including their complexation mechanism structural features, formulation methodologies, and characterization techniques for evaluation of this phyto-phospholipid complex. The review briefly summarizes phytosomes technology, including structural, molecular interaction between active agent and lipids, formulation techniques, storage conditions, stability considerations, and therapeutic applications, commercially available phytosome-based formulations, Challenges faced by technology emphasizing the role and importance of phytosomes as a promising platform for turning herbal active agents into effective and standardized dosage forms.

Faecal incontinence (FI) is a frequent and debilitating sequela of surgical repair of anorectal malformations (ARMs). The rectoanal inhibitory reflex (RAIR), an enteric nervous system (ENS)-mediated circuit essential for continence, is often absent or impaired in these children post-surgically. However, the biological cascade linking surgery to this reflex failure remains unknown. To identify the mechanistic pathways underlying post-surgical FI, we performed a multi-omics case-control study of 31 post-ARM children (12 incontinent, 20 continent), integrating stool 16S rRNA sequencing with untargeted serum metabolomics by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Incontinent children exhibited greater microbial richness yet distinct communities, marked by depletion of butyrate-producing Faecalibacterium and expansion of mucin-degrading Ruminococcus along with Proteobacteria. These ecological shifts coincided with signatures of impaired fatty acid oxidation, and elevated levels of neurotoxic and inflammatory compounds such as trimethylamine and kynurenines. These findings suggest that surgical trauma destabilizes microbial and metabolic homeostasis, compromising ENS circuits. These results raise the possibility that microbial and metabolic restoration could restore faecal continence after surgical repair.

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has emerged as one of the most common endocrine and metabolic disorders seen in women of childbearing age throughout the whole world. The complex pathophysiology, different diagnostic criteria, and various manifestations attached to several environmental factors, including lifestyle influences, have made it one of the most difficult disorders to treat in recent times. In addition, inadequate knowledge among patients and a lack of dedicated approved medications have only enhanced the difficulties in treating such a heterogeneous disorder. Objective: The main objective of this review-type paper is to provide a detailed overview of PCOS along with the current concept of a clinical stance in this complex multigenic disorder. Method: The following databases were used for literature searches: PubMed, Frontiers, Science Direct, Springer, Wiley, and MDPI. For the purpose of finding pertinent articles and contents, the keywords “PCOS; hirsutism; psychological burden; obesity” and others of a similar nature were utilized. Conclusion: PCOS is a complicated hormonal, metabolic, and psychological condition with many different clinical manifestations. It is among the most prevalent causes of infertility. Before considering any medication choices, lifestyle modifications should be considered the primary therapeutic prescription for PCOS-related infertility. According to recent studies, PCOS does not affect the risk of ovarian or breast cancer, but it does raise the risk of endometrial cancer in women of all ages. These results suggest that PCOS may increase the risk of gynaecological cancer morbidity. The following stage is ovulation stimulation, which is best accomplished with letrozole and is followed by clomiphene citrate. Women who had not responded to the first-line oral ovulatory medicine were given gonadotropins as a backup. Early detection of girls with a high propensity to develop PCOS will be made possible by a comprehensive knowledge of the condition's etiology. Adolescent PCOS will be better managed overall, related comorbidities will be prevented, and quality of life will increase with customized therapeutic approaches.

BackgroundA debilitating corneal ectasia, designated as keratoconus, often leads to distorted and obscured vision, and greater reactivity to light. Inevitably, the cornea becomes thinner and protrudes outward forming a cone-like configuration. The research hypothesis is initiated to estimate the reliability of the mirror symmetry and the dimensions of keratoconus severity, prospecting that mirror octant possessed a significant impact on the trajectory of the disorder.MethodsThis study included patients with clinically diagnosed with bilateral keratoconus and bilateral astigmatism. Mirror symmetry or enantiomorphism was quantified employing the refractive cylindrical notations of yoke eye. Pentacam enable the observation of keratoconus severity utilizing corneal thickness, average corneal thinning, and asphericity coefficient. Multiple R was performed to analyze the model fit along with descriptive statistics. One-way ANOVA, guided by F-statistics, was solicited to analyze group variability, while a scatter plot was exploited to forecast the direction of mirror octant association of the variables. SPSS 29.0 software was utilized to perform the statistical analysis, with a p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultWith a significant (p < 0.05) F-statistic, the mirror symmetry remains the statistically significant predictor in the regression model. Average corneal diopter for both eyes exhibit a positive correlation. Conversely, corneal thickness and asphericity coefficient for both eyes demonstrate a negative correlation with mirror symmetry.ConclusionsMirror symmetry's applicability may be inadequate by its subservience on corneal contour analysis, which, although obliging, may abstruse other salient clinical considerations. With 35.6% of the model variability, it indicates a room for improvement by adding nonlinear predictors to enhance the model.