Circulating microRNA profiling identifies microRNAs linked to prediabetes associated with alcohol dependence syndrome

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs are abundant in serum and have emerged as important regulators of gene expression, implicating them in a wide range of diseases. The purpose of this study was to discover and validate serum miRNAs in prediabetes associated with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS).

METHOD

Serum samples from ADS patients with or without prediabetes and normoglycemic controls were subjected to microarray. Validation of identified candidate miRNAs was performed by RT-qPCR. Additionally, GO and KEGG pathway analyses were carried out to uncover target genes anticipated to be controlled by the candidate miRNAs.

RESULTS

Notably, 198, and 172 miRNAs were differentially expressed in ADS-patients with or without prediabetes compared to healthy controls, and 7 miRNAs in ADS-patients with prediabetes compared to ADS-normoglycemic patients, respectively. Furthermore, hsa-miR-320b and hsa-miR-3135b were differentially expressed exclusively in ADS-patients with prediabetes, and this was further validated. Interestingly, GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that genes predicted to be modulated by the candidates were considerably enriched in numerous diabetes-related biological processes and pathways.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed that ADS-patients with or without prediabetes have different sets of miRNAs compared to normoglycemic healthy subjects. We propose serum hsa-miR-320b and hsa-miR-3135b as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of prediabetes in ADS-patients.

Alteration in serum miR126 expression in healthy adults observing Navratri fast

Background

Fasting is practiced by various religions in the world. The previous studies show the effect of fasting on biochemical markers in healthy subjects; however, no study is available on its effect on gene expression or epigenetic markers. In the present study, miR126, a microRNA, was measured in serum samples of healthy adult subjects, and their correlation with biochemical profile was carried out during the short-term fasting of the Navratri festival.

Methods

A total of 30 subjects who underwent fasting for 07 days during the Navratri festival were recruited for the study. The fasting blood samples were obtained at three different time points; day 1 of fasting, day 7 of fasting, and day 7 after completion of fasting period. The miR126 expression, fasting plasma glucose, and lipid profile were measured in all the three samples.

Results

The miR126 levels showed a decreasing trend with a significant difference across the three time points (p-value = 0.006). Fasting plasma glucose increased continuously across three time points without showing any statistical significance. Serum total cholesterol (p = 0.001) and triglycerides (p = 0.001) levels were decreased initially and then increased after resuming normal diet. There was a medium-level negative correlation (-0.332) between baseline fasting glucose level and miR126 level (p = 0.068).

Conclusion

The study revealed that serum levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride were more dynamic than the miR126 levels. A significant decrease in the miR126 expression across three time points is a promising outcome of this pilot study and indicates its role in short-term fasting. However, the fasting plasma glucose showed heterogeneous values without significant correlation with miR126 levels.

Patient Reported Financial Distress and its Association with Quality of Life and Symptom Burden in Cancer Patients Reporting to a Public Facility in LMIC

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Financial distress (FD) associates with worse quality of life (QoL) and there is paucity of literature from low middle income setting (LMIC). We investigated the prevalence & impact of subjective FD on QoL & symptom burden in advanced cancer patients, reporting to a public facility.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients aged ≥18yrs with a diagnosis of cancer within 3months and without prior treatment were accrued. Subjective FD was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30 and symptoms were assessed by ESAS-R at baseline and 3 months. Patients were classified as experiencing FD if they answered ≥2 on a Likert scale question (1-4 points) asking about FD and dichotomized as Grp 1: No FD and Grp 2: FD. Mean change in score was calculated by subtracting the baseline from the 3-month score for each subscale, minimal important difference (MID) was defined using an anchor of ≥ 10-point compared to baseline for Global Qol and compared between groups. We used Mann Whitney, independent sample t test and Fisher's exact test for determining the association between FD and QoL and symptom burden. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Of the 100 patients participating in the study, 69% reported subjective financial distress at baseline, 10% had insurance coverage, 27% used distressed financing (borrowing :21%; sold off assets:6%) and debt accumulation was seen in 34% patients. Cost reduction strategies were adopted by 98% patients. Mean Global Health (GH), physical (PF), emotional function (EF) was significantly worse at all time-points in FD patients. Physical (pain, tiredness) and psychological symptom scores (anxiety, depression) were significantly higher at all time points for FD patients. Mean change score for subscales of QoL and symptom burden was not significantly different between groups from baseline to 3 months (Table1).MID for deterioration of Global Qol was Grp 1 vs 2; 21.1% vs 32.7%, p = 0.504.

CONCLUSION

Two-thirds of patients have FD at presentation and report worse quality of life and symptom burden at all time-points. Presence of FD is not associated with significant change in QoL scores or symptom burden over 3 months. Measures are warranted to screen and reduce FD.

Correlation of CYP2R1 gene promoter methylation with circulating vitamin D levels among healthy adults

Background & objectives

Despite being a tropical country, vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in India with studies indicating 40-99 per cent prevalence. Apart from calcium and phosphate metabolism, vitamin D is involved in cell cycle regulation, cardiovascular, hepatoprotection. The metabolism of vitamin D is regulated by vitamin D tool genes (CYP2R1/CYP27B1/CYP24A1/VDR). The promoter regions of some of these genes have CpG islands, making them prone to methylation induced gene silencing, which may cause a reduction in circulating vitamin D levels. Epigenetic basis of vitamin D deficiency is yet to be studied in India, and hence, this pilot study was aimed to analyze whether methylation levels of CYP2R1 gene were correlated with the levels of 25(OH)D in healthy, adult individuals in Indian population.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, healthy adults of 18-45 yr of age with no history of malabsorption, thyroidectomy, chronic illness or therapeutic vitamin D supplementation were recruited. DNA methylation analysis was carried out by methylation specific quantitative PCR. Serum calcium, phosphate and vitamin D levels were also quantified. Statistical analysis was done by R 4.0.5 software.

Results

A total of 61 apparently healthy adults were analyzed. The serum vitamin D levels did not correlate with CYP2R1 methylation levels in our study population. Significant positive correlation was observed between age and serum vitamin D levels. Significant association of gender was found with CYP2R1 methylation levels.

Interpretation & conclusions

This study found no significant correlation between levels of CYP2R1 methylation and circulating 25(OH)D deficiency. Further studies on the Indian population having a larger sample size including entire vitamin D tool genes, among different ethnic groups may be conducted to elucidate molecular etiology of circulating 25(OH)D deficiency. The high prevalence of normal serum calcium and phosphate levels among vitamin D deficient subjects in this study coupled with the strikingly high prevalence of the deficiency at the national level, may suggest the need to revise the cut-off criteria for vitamin D deficiency in the Indian population.

Single-cell sequencing: A cutting edge tool in molecular medical research

The rapid development of advanced high throughput technologies and introduction of high resolution "omics" data through analysis of biological molecules has revamped medical research. Single-cell sequencing in recent years, is in fact revolutionising the field by providing a deeper, spatio-temporal analyses of individual cells within tissues and their relevance to disease. Like conventional sequencing, the single-cell approach deciphers the sequence of nucleotides in a given Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA), Ribose Nucleic Acid (RNA), Micro Ribose Nucleic Acid (miRNA), epigenetically modified DNA or chromatin DNA; however, the unit of analyses is changed to single cells rather than the entire tissue. Further, a large number of single cells analysed from a single tissue generate a unique holistic perception capturing all kinds of perturbations across different cells in the tissue that increases the precision of data. Inherently, execution of the technique generates a large amount of data, which is required to be processed in a specific manner followed by customised bioinformatic analysis to produce meaningful results. The most crucial role of single-cell sequencing technique is in elucidating the inter-cell genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic and proteomic heterogeneity in health and disease. The current review presents a brief overview of this cutting-edge technology and its applications in medical research.

Comparison of Sodium and Potassium Levels among COVID-19 Patients on Arterial Blood Gas Analysers and Clinical Chemistry Autoanalysers

Introduction: The electrolytes and Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) analysis are the crucial part of the evaluation in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Hyponatremia and hypokalemia are the electrolyte imbalance, commonly seen in COVID-19 and hence, patients require serial monitoring of electrolytes. Variations of sodium and potassium levels between arterial and venous blood are known, however as per existing literature, there are no previous studies on the comparison of electrolytes in COVID-19 patients, when analysed in arterial and venous blood, by different methods and its significance in clinical practice. Aim: To determine whether the sodium and potassium levels of COVID-19 patients are comparable when simultaneously analysed in arterial whole blood and venous serum sample, by ABG analyser and chemistry Autoanalyser (AA) respectively. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted among COVID-19 positive patients admitted in Medical Intensive Care Unit at a Tertiary Care Super-Specialty Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India, from February 2021 to June 2021. A total of 100 arterial and 100 venous blood samples of COVID-19 patients were analysed for sodium and potassium levels on Gem Premier 3000 Blood Gas Analyser and AutoQuant 400i chemistry AA. The statistical analysis was done by the Bland Altman method to assess the agreement between the method of measurement for sodium and potassium levels in arterial and venous samples. Shapiro-Wilk’s test was applied to check normal distribution and statistical variables in sodium and potassium values measured by two methods. Results: The mean values for sodium in arterial blood were 135.91±8.36 mmol/L and in serum was 140.26±8.49 mmol/L. The mean value of potassium in arterial blood was 4.12±0.76 mmol/L and in serum 4.41±0.67 mmol/L. Coefficients of variation for arterial and venous sample sodium level was 4.21 mmol/L and for potassium was 0.28, with bias (95% limits of agreement) of (4.96 to 3.46 mmol/L) and (0.35 to 0.21 mmol ⁄L), respectively. Conclusion: The present study found a significant difference in electrolyte levels when compared between arterial whole blood in ABG analyser and venous serum sample in chemistry autoanalyser in COVID-19 patients. So, the clinicians must be aware of these variations and the same has to be kept in mind, while interpreting the results in COVID-19.

Overexpression of WssgtL3.1 gene from Withania somnifera confers salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

Overexpression of Withania somnifera SGT gene (WssgtL3.1) in transgenic Arabidopsis improves various agronomic and physiological traits and alters conjugated sterol levels to mitigate the effect of salt stress. Sterols are essential constituents of cell membranes that are involved in several biological functions, including response to various biotic and abiotic stresses by altering membrane permeability and signaling pathways. Sterol glycosyltransferases (SGTs) are enzymes that are involved in sterol modification by converting sterols into sterol-conjugates to play essential roles in adaptive responses. However, their roles under abiotic stresses are lesser-known. Among abiotic stresses, salinity imposes serious threat to crop yield worldwide, hence the present study intends to investigate the role of WssgtL3.1-overexpressed Arabidopsis plants under salt stress indicating the crosstalk between SGT gene and salinity to develop improved crop varieties with better stress tolerance ability. The findings revealed that overexpression of WssgtL3.1 gene in A. thaliana improved the resistance against salt stress in the overexpressing lines. Transgenic lines showed significantly higher germination rate, increased plant growth with less chlorophyll damage compared to wild-type (WT) control plants. Moreover, better tolerance also correlated with enhanced osmolytes (proline and soluble sugar), better membrane integrity, decreased H₂O₂ production and lesser MDA accumulation and Na⁺/K⁺ ratio with more negative osmotic potential in overexpressed lines. Additionally, in sterol profiling, significant enhancement in stigmasterol was also observed in transgenic lines than WT plants. Furthermore, in expression profiling, salt responsive genes LEA 4-5, sucrose synthase, and transporter of monosaccharide (ERD) significantly upregulated in overexpressing lines as compared to WT. Thus our data strongly support the defensive role of Withania somnifera SGT gene (WssgtL3.1) against salt stress and contribute to improved salinity tolerance in plants through sterol modulation.

Aerosol Loading and Radiation Budget Perturbations in Densely Populated and Highly Polluted Indo-Gangetic Plain by COVID-19: Influences on Cloud Properties and Air Temperature

Aerosols emitted in densely populated and industrialized Indo-Gangetic Plain, one of the most polluted regions in the world, modulate regional climate, monsoon, and Himalayan glacier retreat. Thus, this region is important for understanding aerosol perturbations and their resulting impacts on atmospheric changes during COVID-19 lockdown period, a natural experimental condition created by the pandemic. By analyzing 5 years (2016-2020) data of aerosols and performing a radiative transfer calculation, we found that columnar and near-surface aerosol loadings decreased, leading to reductions in radiative cooling at the surface and top of the atmosphere and atmospheric warming during lockdown period. Further, satellite data analyses showed increases in cloud optical thickness and cloud-particle effective radius and decrease in lower tropospheric air temperature during lockdown period. These results indicate critical influences of COVID-19 lockdown on regional climate and water cycle over Indo-Gangetic Plain, emphasizing need for further studies from modeling perspectives.

A study on DNA methylation status in promoter region of p15 gene in patients of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome

BACKGROUND

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are a spectrum of hematological malignancies with a multistep process of accumulated genetic and epigenetic alterations. DNA methylation is most extensively studied epigenetic alteration in malignancies. Recent research studies in the field have brought out translational implications of promoter methylation of tumor suppressor gene p15 in tumors. Therefore, we studied the role of DNA Methylation of p15 gene in AML and MDS.

METHODS

The study was carried out in 41 consecutive AML/MDS cases reporting to hematological OPD of a tertiary care center along with 25 age and sex-matched healthy controls. The methylation status in the promoter region of the p15 gene was assessed by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) from blood samples after ethical approval and informed consent of the patients and controls. The association of methylation status was studied with clinical presentations, AML subtypes, and cytogenetics using Chi-square test/Fisher's exact test tools.

RESULTS

A total of 41 cases included in the study comprised 33 cases of AML and 08 cases of MDS with an age range between 06 months and 82 years. Of the 41 cases, 29 revealed promoter methylation of the p15 gene, which compared to healthy controls was found statistically significant (p < 0.001). The methylation status did not significantly correlate with AML subtypes or the cytogenetic abnormalities detected in cases.

CONCLUSION

The outcome of the study indicates p15 promoter DNA methylation in cases of AML and MDS may identify those individuals who might benefit from the targeted therapeutic approaches.

Precision medicine: Concept and tools

Precision medicine is the new age medicine and refers to tailoring treatments to a subpopulation who have a common susceptibility to a particular disease or similar response to a particular drug. Although the concept existed even during the times of Sir William Osler, it was given a shot in the arm with the Precision Medicine Initiative launched by Barack Obama in 2015. The main tools of precision medicine are Big data, artificial intelligence, the various omics, pharmaco-omics, environmental and social factors and the integration of these with preventive and population medicine. Big data can be acquired from electronic health records of patients and includes various biomarkers (clinical and omics based), laboratory and radiological investigations and these can be analysed through machine learning by various complex flowcharts setting up an algorithm for the management of specific subpopulations. So, there is a move away from the traditional "one size fits all" treatment to precision-based medicine. Research in "omics" has increased in leaps and bounds and advancements have included the fields of genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and microbiomics. Pharmaco-omics has also come to the forefront with development of new drugs and suiting a particular drug to a particular subpopulation, thus avoiding their prescription to non-responders, preventing unwanted adverse effects and proving economical in the long run. Environmental, social and behavioural factors are as important or in fact more important than genetic factors in most complex diseases and managing these factors form an important part of precision medicine. Finally integrating precision with preventive and public health makes "precision medicine" a complete final product which will change the way medicine will be practised in future.

Precision medicine: Uses and challenges

Precision medicine has brought in many changes to the practise of medicine. The omics-based development of biomarkers and pharmaco-omics-based drug development programmes are evidences for the advancement. However, the field where it has proved to be most useful is in the development of various modalities of treatment in oncology. Various drugs targeting vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor, tyrosine kinase receptor and rat sarcoma mutations have come to the forefront proving to be beneficial in many cancers. Some of the classic drugs developed using this concept include trastuzumab, bevacizumab, cetuximab and panitumumab among others. Precision medicine has been put to best use in the COVID-19 pandemic through use of various biomarkers such as IL-6 and c-reactive protein in assessing severity of disease, for development of various therapies and also to judge efficacy of vaccines. Precision medicine is also finding its place in management of infectious diseases, chronic diseases such as asthma, connective tissue diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. India has also made its presence felt in the field by launching various initiatives such as the Indian genome project and Indian cancer genome atlas. Numerous challenges still exist to the future of precision medicine such as cost involved, ethics, security of the Big data, merger of various platforms to integrate data and also availability of trained manpower to manage the data and algorithms. This new age medicine is a big step forward for mankind and hopefully it will bring more benefits for both patients and the caregivers in the near future.

Analysis of short-term variation and long-term drift during reagent kit lot change in an NABL accredited clinical biochemistry laboratory

BACKGROUND

Kit lot change in clinical biochemistry labs leads to variations in patient results. This study planned to identify variations during 60 reagent lot changes in our laboratory during the period from June 2018 to May 2019.

METHODS

A statistical analysis was performed to identify the difference between patient samples results variations and QC results. The long term drift was analyzed using a regression test.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference between the patient and QC results in 16.7% of reagent lot changes. Moreover, the extent of variation in QC results was 3.3%. No long-term drift was seen in three analytes which were studied using regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that, during reagent kit lot change, along with QC material, the patient samples should also be run in order to identify the variation. However, this practice is presently ignored by most of the laboratories. There was no accumulated effect in our laboratory due to reagent kit lot change.

Growth and alkaloid production along with expression profiles of biosynthetic pathway genes in two contrasting morphotypes of prickly and prickleless Solanum viarum Dunal

Growth and production kinetics of three important glycoalkaloids viz. α-solanine, solanidine, and solasodine in two contrasting prickly and prickleless plants of Solanum viarum Dunal were evaluated under in vitro conditions. The prickleless plants showed improved accumulation of total glycoalkaloid content [7.11 and 6.85 mg g^-1 dry weight (DW)] and growth (GI = 11.08 and 19.26) after 45 and 50 days of culture cycle, respectively. For higher biomass (91.18 g l^-1) as well as glycoalkaloid (52.56 mg l^-1) recovery, the prickleless plants served as highly profitable platform. All the three studied glycoalkaloids were identified and quantified by mass spectrometry and HPLC. All the three studied glycoalkaloids accumulated in age-dependent manner. The presence of two constituents, i.e., solasodine and solanidine mainly contributed for higher accumulation of total glycoalkaloid content in the prickleless plants. However, the synthesis of α-solanine was highly age specific and could be detected after 4 to 5 weeks of culture cycle in both prickle containing as well as prickleless plants of S. viarum. The higher accumulation of glycoalkaloids in prickleless plants was also supported with the expression analysis of six key pathway enzymes viz. mevalonate kinase (MVK), 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS), UDP-galactose/solanidine galactosyltransferase (SGT1), UDP-glucose/solanidine glucosyltransferase (SGT2), and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP). The results indicated that the plants harvested after 45 and 50 days of culture cycle accumulated maximum bioactive in-demand glycoalkaloids in the prickly and prickleless plants of S. viarum Dunal, respectively.

Relationship between body mass index and percentage of body fat, estimated by bio-electrical impedance among adult females in a rural community of North India: A cross-sectional study

Introduction:

Body adiposity measured by percentage of body fat (BF%) is found to be better predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than body mass index (BMI). Limited information exists showing relationship between BMI and BF% in North Indian population.

Objectives:

To study the relationship between BMI and BF% among North Indian adult females across various age strata and level of BMI.

Materials and Methods:

This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) among randomly selected females. BMI using standard techniques and BF% using bioelectrical impedance analysis was estimated. Linear regression was performed using general linear model with BF% as dependent variable and BMI as main independent variable.

Results:

Mean (±2 SD) age of participants was 41.3 ± 15.7 years. Mean BMI (±SD) was 23.3 (±4.6) kg/m², whereas mean fat mass (±2 SD) and BF% (±95% CI) was 19.2 (±7.9) kg and 33.6 (±6.9) %. BMI and BF% were highly correlated among obese (r = 0.77), whereas least correlated (r = 0.32) in underweight females. Across age strata, correlation between BMI and BF% was maximum in 18–35 years age group (r = 0.95), whereas least in females ≥56 years (r = 0.67). Age and BMI together predicted 73% of variability in BF% in hierarchical linear regression model.

Conclusions:

In this population, we have found strong correlation between BMI and BF% particularly at higher level of BMI and in younger females. There is need to conduct more robust prospective longitudinal studies to assess BF%, which is a better predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Low-cost shoot multiplication and improved growth in different cultivars of Canna indica

Canna (Canna indica L.) is an ornamental landscape plant used specially for the garden borders and beds. It grows in tropical and subtropical countries including India. Canna is a less explored crop, mainly because it is a slow growing monocot with extremely hard seed coat and difficult to establish in vitro, as bacterial contamination is carried through the soil-grown rhizome. Many cultivars (ca. 150) of canna are being maintained in the garden germplasm of National Botanical Research Institute. To obtain 100% in vitro seed germination, chipping off of seeds with a sterilized nail clipper and soaking for 24-48 h or until radical emergence was a prerequisite. To obtain a foolproof tissue culture protocol of canna, in the present study, shoot multiplication was obtained through rhizome axillary buds. Among semisolid, liquid submerged and liquid media with glass beads, the highest multiplication of shoots (10) was obtained in liquid media with glass beads in 'Canna Flaccida' cv. within 6 weeks of culture incubation. During a comparative analysis of shoot regeneration among ten most attractive selected cultivars of canna, two did not respond, whereas a significant difference was obtained among eight cultivars. The regenerated shoots were rooted, acclimatized, and transferred to the pots, where they grew normally.

Transcriptome analysis provides insight into prickle development and its link to defense and secondary metabolism in Solanum viarum Dunal

Prickles are epidermal outgrowth found on the aerial surface of several terrestrial plants. Microscopic studies on prickles of S. viarum Dunal indicated a crucial role of glandular trichomes (GTs) in their development. A spontaneously obtained prickleless mutant showed normal epidermal GTs, but its downstream developmental process to prickle was perturbed. Thus, prickleless mutant offers an ideal opportunity to unveil molecular regulators working downstream to GTs in the prickle formation. Differential transcriptome analysis of epidermis of prickly and prickleless mutant revealed that expression of several defense regulators like ethylene, salicylic acid, PR-proteins, etc. were significantly down-regulated in prickleless mutant, provide an important link between defense and prickle development. It was also noteworthy that the expression of few essential development related TFs like MADS-box, R2R3-MYB, REM, DRL1, were also down-regulated in the stem, petioles, and leaves of prickleless mutant indicating their potential role in prickle development. Interestingly, the gene expression of terpenoid, steroid, flavonoid, glucosinolate, and lignin biosynthesis pathways were up-regulated in prickleless mutant. The biochemical and qRT-PCR analysis also confirmed metabolite elevation. These results indicated that the loss of prickle was compensated by elevated secondary metabolism in the prickleless mutant which played important role in the biotic and abiotic stress management.

Physical state of the culture medium triggers shift in morphogenetic pattern from shoot bud formation to somatic embryo in Solanum khasianum

Solanum khasianum is a rich source of steroidal alkaloids that are important secondary metabolites with enormous pharmaceutical uses. Development of plantlets from somatic tissues, under in vitro conditions, takes place both through adventitious shoot bud differentiation or somatic embryogenesis (SE) pathway. We observed that the physical state of medium, solid or liquid, determined the regenerant differentiation patterns from root segment explants in S. khasianum. In the solidified medium, the root segments developed adventitious shoot buds whereas somatic embryos were regenerated in the liquid medium. Varying gradients from liquid to solid medium were further used to confirm the effect of solidified condition on regeneration pathway. Histological analysis of developing shoot buds and somatic embryos was also performed to confirm their development and differentiation patterns. In order to further confirm the developmental pathways, qRT-PCR analysis of the marker genes of SE and shoot regeneration was also performed. While SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR KINASE1 (SkSERK1) expression was significantly up-regulated during the early embryogenic stage, the LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT (SkLEA) protein was found to be highly expressed in the mature embryos. Expression of the HISTONE DEACETYLASE (HDA6), a repressor of SE related genes, was highly decreased during embryogenesis in the liquid culture. Furthermore, expression of the ENHANCER OF SHOOT REGENERATION  (ESR) gene was comparatively increased during shoot regeneration in the culture using solid medium. Our results point out that the physical state of the medium in S. khasianum plays a decisive role in differentiation pattern which was independent of hormonal supplements.

A Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Predicts Progression of Islet Autoimmunity and Development of Type 1 Diabetes in Individuals at Risk

OBJECTIVE

We tested the ability of a type 1 diabetes (T1D) genetic risk score (GRS) to predict progression of islet autoimmunity and T1D in at-risk individuals.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We studied the 1,244 TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study participants (T1D patients' relatives without diabetes and with one or more positive autoantibodies) who were genotyped with Illumina ImmunoChip (median [range] age at initial autoantibody determination 11.1 years [1.2-51.8], 48% male, 80.5% non-Hispanic white, median follow-up 5.4 years). Of 291 participants with a single positive autoantibody at screening, 157 converted to multiple autoantibody positivity and 55 developed diabetes. Of 953 participants with multiple positive autoantibodies at screening, 419 developed diabetes. We calculated the T1D GRS from 30 T1D-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. We used multivariable Cox regression models, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and area under the curve (AUC) measures to evaluate prognostic utility of T1D GRS, age, sex, Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) Risk Score, positive autoantibody number or type, HLA DR3/DR4-DQ8 status, and race/ethnicity. We used recursive partitioning analyses to identify cut points in continuous variables.

RESULTS

Higher T1D GRS significantly increased the rate of progression to T1D adjusting for DPT-1 Risk Score, age, number of positive autoantibodies, sex, and ethnicity (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29 for a 0.05 increase, 95% CI 1.06-1.6; P = 0.011). Progression to T1D was best predicted by a combined model with GRS, number of positive autoantibodies, DPT-1 Risk Score, and age (7-year time-integrated AUC = 0.79, 5-year AUC = 0.73). Higher GRS was significantly associated with increased progression rate from single to multiple positive autoantibodies after adjusting for age, autoantibody type, ethnicity, and sex (HR 2.27 for GRS >0.295, 95% CI 1.47-3.51; P = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The T1D GRS independently predicts progression to T1D and improves prediction along T1D stages in autoantibody-positive relatives.

Elicitation Enhanced the Yield of Glycyrrhizin and Antioxidant Activities in Hairy Root Cultures of Glycyrrhiza glabra L

Glycyrrhiza glabra L. has become an endangered medicinal plant due to the unabated extraction of glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin is a triterpenoid saponin that is a root centric secondary metabolite having numerous pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiallergic, antiulcer, and is found to be effective even against HIV. Harvesting of the roots for high value glycyrrhizin destroys the whole plant causing existential threat to the plant itself and consequent damage to biodiversity. The present study establishes that hairy root cultures of G. glabra, using an optimized elicitor, can dramatically enhance focused production of glycyrrhizin at a much faster pace year-round without causing destruction of the plant. Hairy root cultures of G. glabra were developed using the Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4 strain. The glycyrrhizin content was enhanced using different biotic and abiotic elicitors, for example, PEG (polyethylene glycol), CdCl₂, cellulase, and mannan at different concentrations and durations. PEG at 1% concentration enhanced the yield of glycyrrhizin up to 5.4-fold after 24 h of exposure, whereas 200 µg mL^-1 cellulase enhanced glycyrrhizin yield to 8.6-fold after 7 days of treatment. Mannan at 10 mg L^-1 concentration enhanced the production of glycyrrhizin up to 7.8-fold after 10 days of stress. Among different antioxidant enzymes, SOD activity was significantly enhanced under drought, cellulase and mannan stress. This identification of elicitors can result in abundant supply of valuable glycyrrhizin to meet broad spectrum demand through commercial production without endangering G. glabra L.

A 54-year-old male with diabetic nephropathy and suspected disseminated tuberculosis: Clinicopathologic correlation in a rare diagnosis

Tuberculosis (TB) and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) share similar clinical and radiological features, which make diagnosis a challenge. It is often difficult to rule out a diagnosis of extrapulmonary and/or disseminated TB because of its paucibacillary nature and difficulty in accessing the involved organs. In countries with high prevalence of TB like ours, empirical antitubercular treatment (ATT) is started, and the patient is followed up closely for response. We present a rare case of a 54-year old diabetic male who was suspected to be a case of disseminated TB but had a rapid downhill course despite ATT. A postmortem revealed features of a rare, aggressive T-cell NHL masquerading as disseminated TB.

Autopsy findings in an atypical case of occult massive fatal pulmonary embolism in a backdrop of hyperhomocysteinemia

A 43-year-old apparently healthy male presented with fever and presyncope. He was suspected to have massive pulmonary thromboembolism based on the clinico-biochemical profile. Despite aggressive thrombolytic therapy, he succumbed to his illness within 12 h of admission. Postmortem examination showed massive pulmonary thromboembolism and hyperhomocysteinemia with low high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol with antemortem blood sample. Herein, we report autopsy findings in a rare case of a young male with occult massive pulmonary thromboembolism without deep vein thrombosis, who had an atypical clinical presentation and was found to have underlying hyperhomocysteinemia and decreased HDLc. An acute, massive PE can present a diagnostic challenge due to the rate and severity of decompensation seen in afflicted patients. A high index of suspicion is required for early detection of pulmonary embolism in a young patient with atypical presentation and without obvious risk factors.

T cell suppression in the bone marrow of visceral leishmaniasis patients: impact of parasite load

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a disseminated and lethal disease of reticulo-endothelial system caused by protozoan parasites Leishmania donovani and L. infantum, which are known to induce host T cell suppression. To understand the impact of parasite load on T cell function, the present was focused on parasite load with T cell function in bone marrow of 26 VL patients. We observed significant enrichment of forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)⁺ (P = 0·0003) and interleukin (IL)-10⁺ FoxP3⁺ regulatory T cells (T_reg ) (P = 0·004) in the bone marrow (BM) of patients with high parasite load (HPL) compared with low parasite load (LPL). Concordantly, T effector cells producing interferon (IFN)-γ (P = 0·005) and IL-17A (P = 0·002) were reduced in the BM of HPL. Blocking of T_reg -cell derived suppressive cytokines [(IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β] rescued the effector T cells and their functions. However, it was observed that TGF-β levels were dominant, favouring T_reg cell differentiation. Furthermore, the low ratio of IL-6/TGF-β favours the suppressive milieu in HPL patients. Here we show the change in levels of various cytokines with the parasitic load during active VL, which could be helpful in devising newer immunotherapeutic strategies against this disease.

Sterol glycosyltransferases required for adaptation of Withania somnifera at high temperature

Heat is a major environmental stress factor that confines growth, productivity, and metabolism of plants. Plants respond to such unfavorable conditions through changes in their physiological, biochemical and developmental processes. Withania somnifera, an important medicinal plant, grows in hot and dry conditions, however, molecular mechanisms related to such adaptive properties are not known. Here, we elucidated that members of the sterol glycosyltransferases (SGT) gene family play important roles in the survival of W. somnifera under adverse conditions through maintaining the integrity of the membrane. SGTs are enzymes involved in sterol modifications and participate in metabolic flexibility during stress. Silencing of WsSGT members, for instance WsSGTL1, WsSGTL2 and WsSGTL4, was inimical for important physiological parameters, such as electron transport rate, photochemical quantum yield, acceptor side limitation, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), Fv/Fm and net photosynthetic rate, whereas stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and dark respiration rates (Rds) were increased. Decreased NPQ and increased Rds helped to generate significant amount of ROS in the Wsamisgt lines. After heat stress, H₂ O₂ , lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production increased in the Wsamisgt lines due to high ROS generation. The expression of HSPs in Wsamisgt lines might be involved in regulation of physiological processes during stress. We have also observed increased proline accumulation which might be involved in restricting water loss in the Wsamisgt lines. Taken together, our observations revealed that SGTL enzyme activity is required to maintain the internal damages of the cell against high temperature by maintaining the sterol vs sterol glycosides ratio in the membranes of W. somnifera.

Withania somnifera: Advances and Implementation of Molecular and Tissue Culture Techniques to Enhance Its Application

Withania somnifera, commonly known as Ashwagandha an important medicinal plant largely used in Ayurvedic and indigenous medicine for over 3,000 years. Being a medicinal plant, dried powder, crude extract as well as purified metabolies of the plant has shown promising therapeutic properties. Withanolides are the principal metabolites, responsible for the medicinal properties of the plant. Availability and amount of particular withanolides differ with tissue type and chemotype and its importance leads to identification characterization of several genes/ enzymes related to withanolide biosynthetic pathway. The modulation in withanolides can be achieved by controlling the environmental conditions like, different tissue culture techniques, altered media compositions, use of elicitors, etc. Among all the in vitro techniques, hairy root culture proved its importance at industrial scale, which also gets benefits due to more accumulation (amount and number) of withanolides in roots tissues of W. somnifera. Use of media compostion and elicitors further enhances the amount of withanolides in hairy roots. Another important modern day technique used for accumulation of desired secondary metabolites is modulating the gene expression by altering environmental conditions (use of different media composition, elicitors, etc.) or through genetic enginnering. Knowing the significance of the gene and the key enzymatic step of the pathway, modulation in withanolide contents can be achieved upto required amount in therapeutic industry. To accomplish maximum productivity through genetic enginnering different means of Withania transformation methods have been developed to obtain maximum transformation efficiency. These standardized transformation procedues have been used to overexpress/silence desired gene in W. somnifera to understand the outcome and succeed with enhanced metabolic production for the ultimate benefit of human race.

Correlation of Small Dense LDL Cholesterol and Apolipoprotein B with LDL Cholesterol and its Clinical Significance in Overweight, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Coronary Artery Disease

Introduction: Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is fundamentally related to disorders of lipid metabolism. Health problems like obesity, glucose intolerance and metabolic syndrome increase atherosclerotic CAD risk.  A fraction of Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is called small dense low density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL). These particles are more atherogenic because they are taken up more easily by arterial wall, readily oxidized and not easily cleared from plasma. Every LDL particle contain an Apo B molecule.Methods: In this cross sectional study we recruited 100 known cases each of CAD, type 2 diabetes, overweight and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls. We took a detailed case summary along with anthropometric measurements. We measured sdLDL by heparin magnesium precipitation method followed by direct estimation of the LDL in the supernatant.Result: Linear regressive analysis showed positive correlation between sdLDL and Apolipoprotein B (Apo B) with LDL cholesterol (r=0.61, p=0.004), (r=0.754, p=0.0034) respectively. Multiple Comparisons after Kruskalwallis test of sdLDL and Apo B levels of  type 2 diabetes, CAD and overweight with controls were significant (p<0.001).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the estimation of sdLDL and Apo B provide a complimentary benefit in assessment of cases with CAD, type 2 diabetes and overweight.

Silencing of sterol glycosyltransferases modulates the withanolide biosynthesis and leads to compromised basal immunity of Withania somnifera

Sterol glycosyltransferases (SGTs) catalyse transfer of glycon moiety to sterols and their related compounds to produce diverse glyco-conjugates or steryl glycosides with different biological and pharmacological activities. Functional studies of SGTs from Withania somnifera indicated their role in abiotic stresses but details about role under biotic stress are still unknown. Here, we have elucidated the function of SGTs by silencing SGTL1, SGTL2 and SGTL4 in Withania somnifera. Down-regulation of SGTs by artificial miRNAs led to the enhanced accumulation of withanolide A, withaferin A, sitosterol, stigmasterol and decreased content of withanoside V in Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) lines. This was further correlated with increased expression of WsHMGR, WsDXR, WsFPPS, WsCYP710A1, WsSTE1 and WsDWF5 genes, involved in withanolide biosynthesis. These variations of withanolide concentrations in silenced lines resulted in pathogen susceptibility as compared to control plants. The infection of Alternaria alternata causes increased salicylic acid, callose deposition, superoxide dismutase and H₂O₂ in aMIR-VIGS lines. The expression of biotic stress related genes, namely, WsPR1, WsDFS, WsSPI and WsPR10 were also enhanced in aMIR-VIGS lines in time dependent manner. Taken together, our observations revealed that a positive feedback regulation of withanolide biosynthesis occurred by silencing of SGTLs which resulted in reduced biotic tolerance.

Elicitation Based Enhancement of Secondary Metabolites in Rauwolfia serpentina and Solanum khasianum Hairy Root Cultures

BACKGROUND

Rauwolfia serpentina and Solanum khasianum are well-known medicinally important plants contained important alkaloids in their different parts. Elicitation of these alkaloids is important because of associated pharmaceutical properties. Targeted metabolites were ajmaline and ajmalicine in R. serpentina; solasodine and α-solanine in S. khasianum.

OBJECTIVE

Enhancement of secondary metabolites through biotic and abiotic elicitors in hairy root cultures of R. serpentina and S. khasianum.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this report, hairy root cultures of these two plants were established through Agrobacterium rhizogenes mediated transformation by optimizing various parameters as age of explants, duration of preculture, and co-cultivation period. NaCl was used as abiotic elicitors in these two plants. Cellulase from Aspergillus niger was used as biotic elicitor in S. khasianum and mannan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used in R. serpentina.

RESULTS

First time we have reported the effect of biotic and abiotic elicitors on the production of important metabolites in hairy root cultures of these two plants. Ajmalicine production was stimulated up to 14.8-fold at 100 mM concentration of NaCl after 1 week of treatment. Ajmaline concentration was also increased 2.9-fold at 100 mg/l dose of mannan after 1 week. Solasodine content was enhanced up to 4.0-fold and 3.6-fold at 100 mM and 200 mM NaCl, respectively, after 6 days of treatments.

CONCLUSION

This study explored the potential of the elicitation strategy in A. rhizogenes transformed cell cultures and this potential further used for commercial production of these pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites.

SUMMARY

Hairy roots of Rauwolfia serpentina were subjected to salt (abiotic stress) and mannan (biotic stress) treatment for 1 week. Ajmaline and ajmalicine secondary metabolites were quantified before and after stress treatmentAjmalicine yield was enhanced up to 14.8-fold at 100 mM concentration of NaCl. Ajmaline content was also stimulated 2.9-fold at 100 mg/l dose of mannan after 1 weekHairy roots of Solanum khasianum were treated with cellulase (biotic elicitor) and salt (abiotic stress)Solasodine content was improved up to 4.0-fold and 3.6-fold at 100 mM and 200 mM NaCl, respectively, after 6.days of treatmentsThe α-solanine content increased to 1.6-fold after 24 h of treatment at 100 μg/mL cellulase concentration. Abbreviations used: MS medium: Murashige and Skoog medium, B5 medium: Gamborg B5 medium, OD: Optical Density, NaCl: Sodium Chloride.

Influence of alcohol on condom use pattern during non-spousal sexual encounter in male migrant workers in north India

CONTEXT

Migrant workers constitute an important risk group for Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome transmission in India. Alcohol consumption before sexual intercourse has been postulated to influence condom use practices. This study aimed to assess this association with regard to non-spousal sexual encounters among male migrant workers in northern India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional facility-based survey was conducted in 2011. Male migrant workers aged ≥18 years, who were born outside Haryana, who had moved to the current location after 15 years of age,had worked in the current factory for at least 1 year, who were willing to participate and were able to give written, informed consent were included in the study. A consecutive sampling was performed. Descriptive, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out.

RESULTS

A total of 162 participants reported having experienced non-spousal sexual encounters in the last 1 year. The proportion of men who reported not having used a condom at their last non-spousal sexual encounter was 59.3%, and 78.4% of the men reported having consumed alcohol in the last 1 year. About 48.1% of men reported having consumed alcohol before their last non-spousal sexual encounter. Men who consumed alcohol were three times more likely to not use a condom at their last non-spousal sexual encounter (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.4). This association persisted even after adjusting for relevant confounders.

CONCLUSION

Alcohol consumption had a negative influence on condom use during non-spousal sexual encounter among male migrant workers. An integrated approach to promote condom use and reduce alcohol consumption among migrant men needs to be undertaken through targeted intervention strategies.

Immunostimulatory potential and proteome profiling of Leishmania donovani soluble exogenous antigens

Isolation of the soluble exogenous antigens (SEAgs), its immune response study and proteome profiling is an essential prerequisite for understanding the molecular pathogenesis of Leishmania donovani. The immunostimulatory potential of L. donovani SEAgs, purified from culture of L. donovani clinical isolate, was evaluated for their ability to induce cellular responses in treated/cured hamsters. SEAgs induced significant proliferative responses in lymphocytes (SI 5.6 ± 2.3; P < 0.01) isolated from cured hamster. In addition, significant NO production in response to SEAgs was also noticed in macrophages of hamsters, mouse and human cell lines (J774A-1 and THP1). Western blot analyses with antibodies against proteophosphoglycan (PPG; surface-expressed and secreted molecule) of L. donovani revealed that PPG molecules are also present in L. donovani SEAgs. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteome analysis of 12 protein bands of SEAgs through MALDI-TOF/TOF endorsed the identification of some Th1-stimulatory immunogenic proteins. These immunogenic proteins may offer increased hope for the discovery of new promising vaccine candidates against visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The overall results suggest that immunostimulatory molecules are present in the SEAgs, which may be further exploited, for developing a subunit vaccine against VL a fatal human disease.

Ectopic overexpression of WsSGTL1, a sterol glucosyltransferase gene in Withania somnifera, promotes growth, enhances glycowithanolide and provides tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses

Overexpression of sterol glycosyltransferase (SGTL1) gene of Withania somnifera showing its involvement in glycosylation of withanolide that leads to enhanced growth and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Withania somnifera is widely used in Ayurvedic medicines for over 3000 years due to its therapeutic properties. It contains a variety of glycosylated steroids called withanosides that possess neuroregenerative, adaptogenic, anticonvulsant, immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities. The WsSGTL1 gene specific for 3β-hydroxy position has a catalytic specificity to glycosylate withanolide and sterols. Glycosylation not only stabilizes the products but also alters their physiological activities and governs intracellular distribution. To understand the functional significance and potential of WsSGTL1 gene, transgenics of W. somnifera were generated using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Stable integration and overexpression of WsSGTL1 gene were confirmed by Southern blot analysis followed by quantitative real-time PCR. The WsGTL1 transgenic plants displayed number of alterations at phenotypic and metabolic level in comparison to wild-type plants which include: (1) early and enhanced growth with leaf expansion and increase in number of stomata; (2) increased production of glycowithanolide (majorly withanoside V) and campesterol, stigmasterol and sitosterol in glycosylated forms with reduced accumulation of withanolides (withaferin A, withanolide A and withanone); (3) tolerance towards biotic stress (100 % mortality of Spodoptera litura), improved survival capacity under abiotic stress (cold stress) and; (4) enhanced recovery capacity after cold stress, as indicated by better photosynthesis performance, chlorophyll, anthocyanin content and better quenching regulation of PSI and PSII. Our data demonstrate overexpression of WsSGTL1 gene which is responsible for increase in glycosylated withanolide and sterols, and confers better growth and tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses.

Ectopic overexpression of WsSGTL1, a sterol glucosyltransferase gene in Withania somnifera, promotes growth, enhances glycowithanolide and provides tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses

Overexpression of sterol glycosyltransferase (SGTL1) gene of Withania somnifera showing its involvement in glycosylation of withanolide that leads to enhanced growth and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Withania somnifera is widely used in Ayurvedic medicines for over 3000 years due to its therapeutic properties. It contains a variety of glycosylated steroids called withanosides that possess neuroregenerative, adaptogenic, anticonvulsant, immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities. The WsSGTL1 gene specific for 3β-hydroxy position has a catalytic specificity to glycosylate withanolide and sterols. Glycosylation not only stabilizes the products but also alters their physiological activities and governs intracellular distribution. To understand the functional significance and potential of WsSGTL1 gene, transgenics of W. somnifera were generated using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Stable integration and overexpression of WsSGTL1 gene were confirmed by Southern blot analysis followed by quantitative real-time PCR. The WsGTL1 transgenic plants displayed number of alterations at phenotypic and metabolic level in comparison to wild-type plants which include: (1) early and enhanced growth with leaf expansion and increase in number of stomata; (2) increased production of glycowithanolide (majorly withanoside V) and campesterol, stigmasterol and sitosterol in glycosylated forms with reduced accumulation of withanolides (withaferin A, withanolide A and withanone); (3) tolerance towards biotic stress (100 % mortality of Spodoptera litura), improved survival capacity under abiotic stress (cold stress) and; (4) enhanced recovery capacity after cold stress, as indicated by better photosynthesis performance, chlorophyll, anthocyanin content and better quenching regulation of PSI and PSII. Our data demonstrate overexpression of WsSGTL1 gene which is responsible for increase in glycosylated withanolide and sterols, and confers better growth and tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses.