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We report here the first ever global study on genetic polymorphism using a Verifiler PlusTM autosomal STR multiplex system. The study evaluated genetic characteristics of 23 autosomal STRs in 200 unrelated residents of Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters are reported. Population comparison analysis was also performed using NJ tree and PCA plot. Penta E marker showed highest power of discrimination (0.938) among all 23 studied markers. The study also presents the first ever global forensic assessment in Indian population on D6S1043 marker (PD 0.937). The results demonstrated that all the 23 markers were highly polymorphic and the Verifiler PlusTM kit is suitable for forensic purposes in Indian population.

Objective This study was planned to evaluate the genetic diversity in the admixed and Teli (a Hindu caste) populations of Maharashtra, India using 20 autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) genetic markers. We further investigated the genetic relatedness of the studied populations with other Indian populations. Results The studied populations showed a wide range of observed heterozygosity viz. 0.690 to 0.918 for the admixed population and 0.696 to 0.942 for the Teli population. This might be due to the multi-directional gene flow. The admixed and Teli populations also showed a high degree polymorphism which ranged from 0.652 to 0.903 and 0.644 to 0.902, respectively. Their combined value of matching probability for all the studied loci was 4.29 × 10 –25 and 5.01 × 10 –24 , respectively. The results of Neighbor-Joining tree and Principal Component Analysis showed that the studied populations clustered with the general populations of Jharkhand, UttarPradesh, Rajasthan and Central Indian States, as well as with the specific populations of Maharashtra ( Konkanastha Brahmins ) and Tamil Nadu ( Kurmans ). Overall, the obtained data showed a high degree of forensic efficacy and would be useful for forensic applications as well as genealogical studies.

Nowadays, silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-embedded nanocomposite hydrogels are very attractive soft materials for biomedical applications. In this investigation, AgNPs were incorporated into ionic double network (IDN) hydrogels by in-situ reduction of AgNO 3 using citric acid in the fully swollen hydrogels. The IDN hydrogels were pH-responsive multifunctional double network consisting of poly(vinyl alcohol)-borax as the first network and P(AM-co-NaAA) as the second network. The nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, XRD and TEM analyses. FTIR analysis revealed the successful incorporation of silver particles because of the observation of coordination of Ag + ions with the carboxylate (–COO − ) group of NaAA component present in the hydrogels. The characteristic presence of face-centered crystalline silver nanoparticles into the hydrogels was observed in X-ray diffractogram. The diameters of such AgNPs were observed to be in the range of 10–40 nm by TEM. These Ag-IDN nanocomposite hydrogels were further characterized for their swelling behavior and swelling kinetics as well as antibacterial property. The incorporation of AgNPs into the polymer network led to decrease of the swelling capacity of the hydrogels. The swelling characteristic constant (K) of the nanocomposite hydrogels was less than that of the virgin IDN hydrogels. Such Ag-IDN nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited antibacterial activity toward gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. However, among the four nanocomposite hydrogels studied in this investigation, Ag-IDN-2 exhibited the best growth inhibition of Bacillus subtills (Gram + ve) whereas Ag-IDN-3 for Escherichia coli (Gram –ve ) microorganisms. Such Ag-IDN nanocomposite hydrogels may find potential biomedical applications.

In this paper, we report the microstructural investigation and influence of H-bonding on the thermal behavior e.g., glass transition (Tand thermal degradation of chiral copolymers of (R)N-(l-phenyl-ethyl) methacrylamide (R-NPEMAM) and 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The Tg increases with the increase of chiral unit content in the copolymers and then attains optimum at around 25 mole % of chiral content. Thereafter it decreases with the increase of chiral content. The effect of copolymer composition and secondary interaction associated with the Hbonding on the thermal properties of these copolymers was also studied. Secondary interaction, specifically H-bonding has been interpreted using FTIR analysis. The copolymers thermally degrade in three stages. The first and third stages of degradation are associated with the chiral comonomer (R-NPEMAM) whereas the second stage indicates the degradation due to HEMA unit present in the copolymer chain. The activation energies for these degradations of the copolymers have been evaluated using Flynn-Wall and Kissinger method.

In this investigation, we report double network (DN) hydrogels having high mechanical strength at their swollen state. Such a double network hydrogel is consisting of PVA-borax double strand in which P(AM-HEMA) crosslinked network was embedded by in-situ polymerization. Both the swelling property and tensile strength of the hydrogels (in their swollen state) depends on the composition of the hyrogels. The equilibrium swelling ratio was achieved as high as 1272% for a sample where AM/HEMA=100/0 was taken in the second network (no HEMA). The compositional ratio of AM and HEMA in forming double network has also distinct influence on the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. The tensile strength values for DN hydrogels having 80 wt% water content were measured to be 21.77kPa, 31.47 kPa and 32.21 kPa for the DN hydrogels having AM/ HEMA weight ratio 67/33, 50/50 and 25/75 (PVA-borax content being constant). Elongation of more than 200% was also achieved in such a DN hydrogel. The results obtained in this system of DN hydrogels having PVA-borax network are comparable with those reported for other systems. The high mechanical properties of such hydrogels can be attributed to the reinforcing influence of PVA-borax complex crosslinking onto the P(AM-HEMA) networks.

Crosslinking is one of the most important factors affecting the major characteristics of polymer and hydrogel materials. Now-a-days, double network (DN) hydrogels have attracted special attention for their high strength and stretchability. In this investigation, we report the effect of crosslinker concentration on the DN hydrogels which are consisting of poly(vinyl alchohol)-borax as the first network and poly(acrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) as the second network synthesized by in-situ crosslinking polymerization process using N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker. Various properties of the DN hydrogels such as degree of swelling, swelling kinetics, gel fraction and network parameters (crosslink density, average molar mass between crosslinks, mesh size etc.) were studied. The polymer-solvent interaction parameter (χ) and polymer volume fraction in swollen state (VP) were also calculated using Flory-Rehner Theory. We observed that the degree of swelling was increased with increasing crosslinker concentration up to 0.1 wt% of monomers. But above this concentration, it was decreased with crosslinker concentration. The gel fractions as well as mechanical properties were increased with increasing MBA crosslinker concentration.

(R)-N-(l-phenyl-ethyl) methacrylamide (R-NPEMAM) was synthesized which is an organic chiral monomer. The crystals of such monomer were obtained by recrystallization of the synthesized product from ethanol-water mixture. It was polymerized with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and a crosslinking monomer, N,N ' methylene bisacrylamide in toluene medium. These materials have been characterized by different analytical techniques such as FTIR, elemental and SEM analyses for their structural and morphological investigation. The organic monomer is a chiral molecule and its optical rotation was observed to be: [α]D25=28° (C 1.0 DMF). On the other hand, optical rotations were observed to be: 35° for its polymer (CP) and 8 to 21o for its copolymers having different chiral content. Such organic and polymeric materials were studied for their NLO properties. The relative second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of organic chiral monomer crystal (CCM) was 1.22 times that of KDP, whereas the values of polymer and copolymers were slightly less (0.87 to 0.94) than that of the KDP crystal. However, all these values are comparable to the property of other organic crystals and also to the recently reported SHG efficiency of 1.5 times for organic 4-chloroanilinium-L-tartrate monohydrate single crystal. These materials may find their potential nonlinear optical applications.

Pancreatic cancer is known for its dismal prognosis and high mortality rate, primarily due to late-stage diagnosis and aggressive disease progression. Finding reliable prognostic biomarkers is crucial in improving patient outcomes and guiding treatment strategies. D-dimer, a fibrin degradation product, has emerged as a potential biomarker of interest in various cancers due to its association with coagulation abnormalities. This comprehensive review investigates the prognostic role of D-dimer levels in pancreatic cancer by synthesizing current research and exploring its clinicopathological associations. Elevated D-dimer levels in pancreatic cancer patients have been linked to poorer clinical outcomes, including reduced overall survival and increased disease progression. The review examines how D-dimer levels correlate with tumor characteristics such as stage, grade, and metastatic spread, highlighting its potential utility as a prognostic marker. Additionally, the review addresses the methodological challenges in D-dimer measurement and the need for standardized protocols to enhance the reliability and applicability of results. Future research directions are identified, focusing on validating D-dimer's clinical utility and integrating it into routine practice for risk stratification and personalized treatment planning. By providing a comprehensive overview of D-dimer's prognostic value, this review aims to contribute to developing more effective management strategies for pancreatic cancer, ultimately improving patient care and outcomes.

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive bile duct malignancy, presents significant challenges in surgical management. Traditionally treated with open surgery, the emergence of robotic surgery has introduced a new dimension to surgical approaches for this condition. This review aims to systematically compare the efficacy and safety of robotic surgery versus open surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. We conducted a comprehensive review of the literature, including clinical studies, case series, and comparative analyses of robotic and open surgical techniques. Data on oncological outcomes, functional recovery, survival rates, complications, and cost-effectiveness were extracted and analyzed to provide a detailed comparison of the two surgical approaches. Robotic surgery offers several potential advantages over open surgery, including reduced intraoperative blood loss, smaller incisions, and shorter recovery times. However, it requires specialized training and has a higher initial cost. Open surgery, while more established and broadly practiced, remains associated with longer recovery periods and higher complication rates. Oncological outcomes, such as R0 resection rates and survival, appear comparable between the two approaches, though robotic surgery may offer improvements in functional recovery and postoperative quality of life. Both robotic and open surgery have their merits in the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Robotic surgery presents promising benefits in terms of reduced invasiveness and improved recovery, while open surgery continues to be a reliable and well-established option. The choice of surgical approach should be guided by patient-specific factors, surgeon expertise, and institutional resources. Further research is needed to refine surgical techniques and establish long-term outcomes, which will aid in optimizing treatment strategies for this challenging malignancy.