Highlights Bioinformatics analysis of mouse mRNA expression dataset for presumptive SARS-CoV-2 targets. Induction of ISGs-Isg15, Oasl1, Usp18 and Ddx58 with no marked changes in the expression of IFNs. No induction of ACE2 and TMPRSS2, raising implications for host factor limitations. Identification of ceRNA network including miR-124-3p, Ddx58, lncRNA (Gm26917) and circRNAs (Ppp1r10, C330019G07RiK). Virus regulates the expression of lnc and circRNAs, acting as sponges for miR-124-3p targeting Ddx58.

Before the imposition of the strict lockdowns and the spread of COVID-19, the disruptions in China caused a ripple effect on the global supply chains. Emphasis has been laid on minimisation of costs and timely delivery of essential products. In India, as the situation worsens due to the outbreak, we have seen disruptions in the logistics supply chain. There are several reasons attributed to the increase in demand and slowing of the supply. There are several workable solutions available to look into this situation. We should work towards promoting Indian markets and amend policies to help the local workforce lessen the interdependencies of imports on other countries. This will help in strengthening the logistics supply chain in India. This will create employment opportunities and increase the GDP growth.

Asthma is a multifarious disease affecting several million people around the world. It has a heterogeneous risk architecture inclusive of both genetic and environmental factors. This heterogeneity can be utilised to identify differentially expressed biomarkers of the disease, which may ultimately aid in the development of more localized and molecularly targeted therapies. In this respect, our study complies with meta-analysis of microarray datasets containing mRNA expression profiles of both asthmatic and control patients, to identify the critical Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. We found a total of 30 DEGs out of which 13 were involved in the pathway and functional enrichment analysis. Moreover, 5 DEGs were identified as the hub genes by network centrality-based analysis. Most hub genes were involved in protease/ antiprotease pathways. Also, 26 miRNAs and 20 TFs having an association with these hub genes were found to be intricated in a 3-node miRNA Feed-Forward Loop. Out of these, miR-34b and miR-449c were identified as the key miRNAs regulating the expression of SERPINB2 gene and SMAD4 transcription factor. Thus, our study is suggestive of certain miRNAs and unexplored pathways which may pave a way to unravel critical therapeutic targets in asthma. Despite recent advances in anti-asthmatic therapeutics, asthma is still a major global health concern. According to the latest Global Asthma Report 2018, over 339 million people are affected globally by asthma leading to more than 1000 deaths per day (https ://globa lasth marep ort.org). At least 2 billion individuals worldwide have exposure to the contaminated smoke of biomass fuel, usually burned inadequately in fire replaces or poorly ventilated indoor stoves. A billion individuals inhale polluted outdoor air, and a billion have exposure to tobacco smoke 1. Asthma is a chronic disorder of airways, which is characterized by inflammation resulting from a complex interplay of diverse pathways in numerous type of cells including epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells, neutrophils, mast cells, eosinophils, T cells, and B cells 2,3. Cellular and molecular processes in asthma are relatively unknown due to heterogeneity in genetic, clinical and treatment responses in asthma subjects. Airway remodelling takes places in severe asthma characterized by goblet cell metaplasia, epithelial damage, sub-epithelial fibrosis, basement membrane thickening, and escalated airway smooth muscle 4,5. Based on phenotypes, there can be nonallergic asthma, allergic asthma, asthma with obesity, adult-onset asthma, and asthma with persistent airflow limitation 6,7 whereas based on the severity it could be mild, moderate or severe. Molecular phenotyping of diseased tissues helps to identify biomarkers of asthma which are essential for the development of more localized and molecularly targeted therapies based on the heterogeneity of patients 8. There are two subgroups of asthma based on the expression of Th2 associated genes. One subgroup expresses a ...

Li and S compounds are currently exploited for their applications in battery industry. Here, we discovered that Li-S compounds exhibit supercapacitor like properties in a context-dependent manner viz., when Li and S atoms are entrapped in a conductivity cage of N-doped reduced graphene oxide (ND-RGO) supercapacitor derived from silk cocoon, it resulted in the formation of a superior hybrid Li-S-silk (ND-RGO-Li-S) supercapacitor. Interestingly, ND-RGO-Li-S proves to be a better supercapacitor than ND-RGO alone. Electrochemical properties of ND-RGO versus ND-RGO-Li-S indicated that the later has higher capacitance (~ 10.72%), lower resistance (~ 2.98%), and higher time constant or relaxation time (~ 7.52%). Thus, in one of the first attempts, caging Li and S in ND-RGO supercapacitor matrix offers a new role for Li-S, as an improved supercapacitor, unlike its current application as a battery.

Background This study aimed to determine the impact of pulmonary complications on death after surgery both before and during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Methods This was a patient-level, comparative analysis of two, international prospective cohort studies: one before the pandemic (January–October 2019) and the second during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (local emergence of COVID-19 up to 19 April 2020). Both included patients undergoing elective resection of an intra-abdominal cancer with curative intent across five surgical oncology disciplines. Patient selection and rates of 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications were compared. The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative mortality. Mediation analysis using a natural-effects model was used to estimate the proportion of deaths during the pandemic attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results This study included 7402 patients from 50 countries; 3031 (40.9 per cent) underwent surgery before and 4371 (59.1 per cent) during the pandemic. Overall, 4.3 per cent (187 of 4371) developed postoperative SARS-CoV-2 in the pandemic cohort. The pulmonary complication rate was similar (7.1 per cent (216 of 3031) versus 6.3 per cent (274 of 4371); P = 0.158) but the mortality rate was significantly higher (0.7 per cent (20 of 3031) versus 2.0 per cent (87 of 4371); P < 0.001) among patients who had surgery during the pandemic. The adjusted odds of death were higher during than before the pandemic (odds ratio (OR) 2.72, 95 per cent c.i. 1.58 to 4.67; P < 0.001). In mediation analysis, 54.8 per cent of excess postoperative deaths during the pandemic were estimated to be attributable to SARS-CoV-2 (OR 1.73, 1.40 to 2.13; P < 0.001). Conclusion Although providers may have selected patients with a lower risk profile for surgery during the pandemic, this did not mitigate the likelihood of death through SARS-CoV-2 infection. Care providers must act urgently to protect surgical patients from SARS-CoV-2 infection.