Assessment of Patients with Periorbital Melanosis for Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance

Background:

Periorbital melanosis (PM) is one of the most common dermatological condition seen in routine practice. Several cutaneous markers such as acanthosis nigricans have been associated with insulin resistance (IR). However, the association of PM with IR needs to be substantiated.

Objective:

The objective of the study is to evaluate the association of circulating adipokines and IR with PM.

Materials and Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 100 patients with PM and 100 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. The serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and leptin: adiponectin ratio (L/A ratio) were assayed.

Results:

The serum levels of leptin, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, L/A ratio were significantly higher in patients with PM as compared to controls. The serum levels of adiponectin were significantly lower in cases as compared to controls. On multivariate regression analysis, leptin, adiponectin, and HOMA-IR were found to be significant, even after adjusting for BMI, blood pressure and LDL and HDL cholesterol.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that patients with PM have hyperinsulinemia, IR, and elevated L/A ratio. PM as a marker of IR in adults may help in identifying patients early and thus aid in the early prevention and management of the disease.

Identification of the targeted therapeutic potential of doxycycline for a subset of gastric cancer patients

The identification of new drugs for the targeted therapy of gastric cancer remains an important need. The RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK/ELK1 signaling cascade is activated in many cancers, including gastric cancer. To identify the targetable inhibitors of the ERK/MAPK pathway, we performed a repurposing screening of a panel of antimicrobial agents in gastric cancer cells using an ERK/MAPK-driven firefly luciferase reporter assay. Multiple antibiotics were identified to inhibit ERK-mediated transcriptional activity. Among them, doxycycline showed high inhibition of ERK/MAPK-regulated transcriptional activity and the levels of ERK proteins. Doxycycline was further identified to inhibit the proliferation and the colony- and spheroid-forming potential of gastric cancer cells. By in vitro signaling pathway and genome-wide expression profiling analyses, doxycycline was identified to inhibit signaling pathways and transcriptional activities regulated by ER, Myc, E2F1, Wnt, SMAD2/3/4, Notch, and OCT4. Doxycycline was also found to activate p53-, ATF6-, NRF1/2-, and MTF1-mediated transcription and inhibit the transcription of histones, proteasomal genes, fibroblast growth factor, and other oncogenic factors. These observations show the multitargeting and targeted therapeutic features of doxycycline for a subset of gastric tumors.

Genome of a known but distinct begomovirus associated with a novel satellite molecule infecting a new host bitter gourd (Momordica charantia)

Coccinia mosaic Virdhunagar virus (KY860899), Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (KY860898) and Tomato leaf curl Virdhunagar alphasatellite (KY848691) were found to be associated with leaf curl disease in Momordica charantia (bitter gourd). The complete nucleotide sequence of Coccinia mosaic Virdhunagar virus showed 82% identity with Coccinia mosaic Tamil Nadu virus (KM244719), whereas Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus was 96% identical to Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (KP868764) and Tomato leaf curl Virdhunagar alphasatellite illustrated 81% similarity with Tomato leaf curl New Delhi alphasatellite (JQ041697). Phylogenetic and RDP analysis revealed the proximity of these begomoviruses with other monopartite begomoviruses and alphasatellites already reported from India. As per the threshold criteria laid down by International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses for species demarcation in begomoviruses and satellite molecules, the identified virus isolates, Coccinia mosaic Virdhunagar virus and Tomato leaf curl Virdhunagar alphasatellite are proposed as new species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever account of mixed infection of begomoviruses in Momordica charantia, a vegetable crop commonly cultivated throughout India.

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles and its application for the trace level determination of painter's colic

The green synthesis of metal nanoparticles is found to be more attractive in various disciplines, including in analytical chemistry for heavy metal ion sensing.

Green synthesized silver nanoparticles decorated on reduced graphene oxide for enhanced electrochemical sensing of nitrobenzene in waste water samples

In the present work, an electrochemical sensor for nitrobenzene has been developed based on a green synthesized silver nanoparticle (AgNP) decorated reduced graphene oxide (RGO) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE).