Assessment of immune response to repeat stimulation with BCG vaccine using in vitro PBMC model

Background  

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most prevalent cause of death due to a single pathogen. Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) is the only vaccine available for clinical use that protects against miliary TB; however, this vaccine has shown variable levels of efficacy against pulmonary TB. In India, a single dose of BCG vaccine is given and there are few countries where repeated doses of BCG are given. The incidence of TB in India is very high inspite of primary vaccination in neonatal period and therefore requires consideration for repeated immunization.     

Electronic, magnetic and transport properties of Co2TiZ (Z=Si, Ge and Sn): A first-principle study

We have studied the electronic structure, magnetic and transport properties of some Co based full Heusler alloys, namely Co₂TiZ (Z=Si, Ge and Sn), in the frame work of first-principle calculations. The calculations show that Co₂TiZ (X=Si, Ge and Sn) are to be half-metallic compounds with a magnetic moment of 2 μ_B, well consistent with the Slater-Pauling rule. The electronic structure results reveal that Co₂TiZ has the high density of states at the Fermi energy in the majority-spin state and show 100% spin polarization. Our results also suggest that both the electronic and magnetic properties in these compounds are intrinsically related to the appearance of the minority-spin gap. The origin of energy gap in the minority-spin states is discussed in terms of the electron splitting of Z (Z=Si, Ge and Sn) and 3d Co atoms and also the d-d hybridization between the Co and Ti atoms. The transport properties of these materials are discussed on the basis of Seebeck coefficients, electrical conductivity coefficients and thermal conductivity coefficients.     

In Silico Evaluation of Natural Flavonoids as a Potential Inhibitor of Coronavirus Disease

The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China, has led to millions of infections and the death of approximately one million people. No targeted therapeutics are currently available, and only a few efficient treatment options are accessible. Many researchers are investigating active compounds from natural plant sources that may inhibit COVID-19 proliferation. Flavonoids are generally present in our diet, as well as traditional medicines and are effective against various diseases. Thus, here, we reviewed the potential of flavonoids against crucial proteins involved in the coronavirus infectious cycle. The fundamentals of coronaviruses, the structures of SARS-CoV-2, and the mechanism of its entry into the host’s body have also been discussed. In silico studies have been successfully employed to study the interaction of flavonoids against COVID-19 M^pro, spike protein PL^pro, and other interactive sites for its possible inhibition. Recent studies showed that many flavonoids such as hesperidin, amentoflavone, rutin, diosmin, apiin, and many other flavonoids have a higher affinity with M^pro and lower binding energy than currently used drugs such as hydroxylchloroquine, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and lopinavir. Thus, these compounds can be developed as specific therapeutic agents against COVID-19, but need further in vitro and in vivo studies to validate these compounds and pave the way for drug discovery.     

Inorganic Bergman Cyclization: An Appeal From Theory

The scope of Bergman cyclization is expanded computationally by exploring the cyclization in inorganic B, N substituted derivative. This substitution has introduced polarity into the transition state, which resulted in dramatic lowering of the activation barrier. Natural charge distribution throughout the reaction profile has ascertained this hypothesis. Single B and N atom substitution at 1 and 6 terminal positions lowers the activation barrier by almost half of the original value which becomes even lower in the complete B, N analogue. The parent Bergman and single B, N substituted products were characterized by significant biradical character while the complete B, N substituted analogue was characterized by significant zwitterionic character. Reduction in electron delocalization is also observed in the complete B, N substituted analogue.     

Magnetic Purcell Enhancement in a Nanoantenna-Spherical Bragg Resonator Coupled System

In this work, a novel approach for enhancing magnetic fields in all-dielectric nanoantennas using Spherical Bragg Resonators (SBR) is proposed, which can boost quantum emitters' magnetic transitions. A matrix method has been used to optimize the magnetic dipole resonance of a SiO₂/Si core-shell spherical nanoantenna. The radiative and non-radiative decay rate of a Eu³⁺ emitter with a quantum efficiency of ∼80% is studied. The findings revealed that the magnetic dipole nanoantenna resonance coupling with the SBR mode significantly enhances the modal magnetic field. A 4-layer SiO₂/Si SBR results in a Purcell factor of $\approx 5\times {10}^3$, the highest it has found in the literature, to the best of the knowledge. The work offers a theoretical demonstration of the potential of SBR to improve the performance of dielectric nanoantennas.     

Microstructures of Choline Amino Acid based Biocompatible Ionic Liquids

Bio-compatible ionic liquids (Bio-ILs) represent a class of solvents with peculiar properties and exhibit huge potential for their applications in different fields of chemistry. Ever since they were discovered, researchers have used bio-ILs in diverse fields such as biomass dissolution, CO₂ sequestration, and biodegradation of pesticides. This review highlights the ongoing research studies focused on elucidating the microscopic structure of bio-ILs based on cholinium cation ([Ch]⁺) and amino acid ([AA]⁻) anions using the state-of-the-art and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The microscopic structure associated with these green ILs guides their suitability for specific applications. ILs of this class differ in the side chain of the amino acid anions, and varying the side chain significantly affects the structure of these ILs and thus helps in tuning the efficiency of biomass dissolution. This review demonstrates the central role of the side chain on the morphology of choline amino acid ([Ch][AA]) bio-ILs. The seemingly matured field of bio-ILs and their employment in various applications still holds significant potential, and the insights on their microscopic structure would steer the field of target specific application of these green ILs.