Faculty Publications

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Assessing awareness and use of mobile phone technology for health and wellness: Insights from India
(Elsevier B.V., 2019) Pai, R.R.; Alathur, S.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the awareness and use of mobile phones and applications for health service delivery among technical students, working staff, medical students, and health professionals of India. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 386 students, working staff, and health professionals of engineering and medicine using structured questionnaires and the data were analyzed. Findings: Most of the responses are female (50.25%) of age 18–25 (48.44%). However, respondents have used mobile phones for managing menstrual cycles and chronic/lifestyle diseases. Moreover, the degree of awareness and familiarity about the term “mobile health” was found to be more among technical students and working staff (55.17%) than medical students and health professionals (44.82%). Statistical results also revealed that awareness about the use of mobile phone for health-related components was found to be significant except for health awareness and education, and medication adherence and refilling. Further, about mobile health applications use, there exists a significant association between the study groups for the self-management applications of cancer, cholesterol, heart diseases, and stroke. Conclusion: The study recommends to improve peoples’ awareness and familiarity about the use of mobile phone for managing health and service delivery. This can be achieved with the help of health professionals as most of the people prefer personal visits than through mobile interventions. Moreover, peoples’ socio-demographic factors, perception about the device, and health information also play an important role in using mobile health applications for health service delivery. © 2019 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
Mango Leaves (Mangifera indica)-Derived Highly Florescent Green Graphene Quantum Dot Nanoprobes for Enhanced On-Off Dual Detection of Cholesterol and Fe2+ Ions Based on Molecular Logic Operation
(American Chemical Society, 2024) Ratnesh, R.K.; Singh, M.K.; Kumar, V.; Singh, S.; Chandra, R.; Singh, M.; Singh, J.
In the present study, we have engineered a molecular logic gate system employing both Fe2+ ions and cholesterol as bioanalytes for innovative detection strategies. We utilized a green-synthesis method employing the mango leaves extract to create fluorescent graphene quantum dots termed “mGQDs”. Through techniques like HR-TEM, i.e., high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS, i.e., X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the successful formation of mGQDs was confirmed. The photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of mGQDs were investigated for potential applications in metal ion detection, specifically Fe2+ traces in water, by using fluorescence techniques. Under 425 nm excitation, mGQDs exhibited emission bands at 495 and 677 nm in their PL spectrum. Fe2+-induced notable quenching of mGQDs’ PL intensity decreased by 97% with 2.5 μM Fe2+ ions; however, adding 20 mM cholesterol resulted in a 92% recovery. Detection limits were established through a linear Stern-Volmer (S-V) plot at room temperature, yielding values of 4.07 μM for Fe2+ ions and 1.8 mM for cholesterol. Moreover, mGQDs demonstrated biocompatibility, aqueous solubility, and nontoxicity, facilitating the creation of a rapid nonenzymatic cholesterol detection method. Selectivity and detection studies underscored mGQDs’ reliability in cholesterol level monitoring. Additionally, a molecular logic gate system employing Fe2+ metal ions and cholesterol as a bioanalyte was established for detection purposes. Overall, this research introduces an ecofriendly approach to craft mGQDs and highlights their effectiveness in detecting metal ions and cholesterol, suggesting their potential as versatile nanomaterials for diverse analytical and biomedical applications. © 2024 American Chemical Society.
Evaluating the impact of the membrane thickness on the function of the intramembrane protease GlpG
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Engberg, O.; Mathath, A.V.; Döbel, V.; Frie, C.; Lemberg, M.K.; Chakraborty, D.; Huster, D.
Cellular membranes exhibit a huge diversity of lipids and membrane proteins that differ in their properties and chemical structure. Cells organize these molecules into distinct membrane compartments characterized by specific lipid profiles and hydrophobic thicknesses of the respective domains. If a hydrophobic mismatch occurs between a membrane protein and the surrounding lipids, there can be functional consequences such as reduced protein activity. This phenomenon has been extensively studied for single-pass transmembrane proteins, rhodopsin, and small polypeptides such as gramicidin. Here, we investigate the E. coli rhomboid intramembrane protease GlpG as a model to systematically explore the impact of membrane thickness on GlpG activity. We used fully saturated 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DLPC) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine(DMPC) model lipids and altered membrane thickness by varying the cholesterol content. Physical membrane parameters were determined by 2H and 31P NMR spectroscopy and correlated with GlpG activity measurements in the respective host membranes. Differences in bulk and annular lipids as well as alterations in protein structure in the respective host membranes were determined using molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings indicate that GlpG can influence the membrane thickness in DLPC/cholesterol membranes but not in DMPC/cholesterol membranes. Moreover, we observe that GlpG protease activity is reduced in DLPC membranes at low cholesterol content, which was not observed for DMPC. While a change in GlpG activity can already be due to smallest differences in the lipid environment, potentially enabling allosteric regulation of intramembrane proteolysis, there is no overall correlation to cholesterol-mediated lipid bilayer organization and phase behavior. Additional factors such as the influence of cholesterol on membrane bending rigidity and curvature energy need to be considered. In conclusion, the functionality of ?-helical membrane proteins such as GlpG relies not only on hydrophobic matching but also on other membrane properties, specific lipid interaction, and the composition of the annular layer. © 2024 The Author(s)

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