The zinc finger transcription factor EGR-1 impedes interleukin-1-inducible tumor growth arrest

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a growth arrest signal for diverse human tumor cell lines. We report here that the action of this cytokine in melanoma cells is associated with induction of EGR-1, a zinc finger protein that activates gene transcription. Both growth arrest and EGR-1 are induced via the type I receptor of IL-1. To determine the role of EGR-1 in IL-1 action in melanoma cells, we used a chimera expressing the transrepression domain of the Wilm's tumor gene, WT1, and the DNA binding domain of Egr-1. This chimera competitively inhibited EGR-1-dependent transactivation via the GC-rich DNA binding sequence, indicating that it acted as a functional dominant negative mutant of Egr-1. Melanoma cell lines stably transfected with the dominant negative mutant construct were supersensitive to IL-1 and showed accelerated G0/G1 growth arrest compared with the parental cell line. The effect of the dominant negative mutant construct was mimicked by addition of an antisense Egr-1 oligomer to the culture medium of the parental cells: the oligomer inhibited EGR-1 expression and accelerated the growth-inhibitory response to IL-1. These data imply that EGR-1 acts to delay IL-1-mediated tumor growth arrest.

Fragment-specific fixation for complex intra-articular fractures of the distal radius: results of a prospective single-centre trial

The goal was to evaluate the efficacy of 2.4 mm column-specific plating for intra-articular distal radius fractures. In total, 105 patients with AO type C distal radius fractures were operated on using the locking distal radius system, Synthes. Follow-up assessments including clinical (wrist and forearm range of motion, grip strength), radiological (articular step, radial length and inclination, volar tilt, and ulnar variance), and functional scores (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand; Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation) were made at regular intervals until 1 year. Union was obtained in all patients. Articular surface was anatomically reconstructed in 74 patients (70.5%). Clinical and functional evaluation showed significant continuous improvements over the first year. C1 fractures had a better chance of anatomical reduction compared with C2 and C3 fractures. Fracture type, quality of reduction, and presence of degenerative changes did not show a significant effect on functional outcome scores. Column-specific fixation of the distal radius can achieve satisfactory results in complex intra-articular fractures.

Chitosan guar nanoparticle preparation and its in vitro antimicrobial activity towards phytopathogens of rice

The aim of the present study was to prepare chitosan guar nanoparticle (CGNP) with high antimicrobial activity to use as a bioprotectant against rice phytopathogens. Nanoparticles were prepared using sodium tripolyphosphate by the ionic gelation method. The physico-chemical properties of nanoparticles were characterized through DLS, FTIR, TEM, SEM, AFM and XRD. The application of CGNP to rice seeds stimulated seed germination and seedling growth. CGNP showed growth inhibition towards rice pathogens P. grisea and X. oryzae under in-vitro condition. Excised rice leaves treated with CGNP and challenged with P. grisea showed no blast disease symptom whereas control leaves showed very high blast disease symptom. The results of this study indicate that CGNP can be used as an antimicrobial agent to control blast, blight disease of rice.

Analytical characterization of in vitro refolding in the quality by design paradigm: Refolding of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor

Protein based therapeutics dominate most pharmaceutical pipelines today. For a therapeutic product to be effective, it is important that it is in its native form as slight modifications have been known to result in significantly different performance in the clinic. When expressed in hosts such as Escherichia coli, formation of inactive insoluble aggregates of proteins popularly known as inclusion bodies occurs in most cases. This necessitates the need for in vitro refolding to generate the native (and active) form of the therapeutic protein. This paper aims to provide an approach to generate a deeper understanding of refolding of a therapeutic protein and then to use it for its optimal production commercially. Recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor has been chosen as the model protein. Seven orthogonal analytical tools have been used to elucidate the refolding process. By strategically using these tools protein refolding has been segregated into a series of well-defined sequence of events, starting from the unfolded random coil and ending with the uniquely folded metastable state. The study also suggests the choice of tools that can be used to monitor each event. We believe that this paper successfully demonstrates an approach to generate deeper understanding of the protein refolding process as per the expectations laid out in the Quality by Design paradigm.

Prediction of algal blooms using genetic programming

In this study, an attempt was made to mathematically model and predict algal blooms in Tolo Harbor (Hong Kong) using genetic programming (GP). Chlorophyll plays a vital role in blooms and was used in this model as a measure of algal bloom biomass, and eight other variables were used as input for its prediction. It has been observed that GP evolves multiple models with almost the same values of errors-of-measure. Previous studies on GP modeling have primarily focused on comparing GP results with actual values. In contrast, in this study, the main aim was to propose a systematic procedure for identifying the most appropriate GP model from a list of feasible models (with similar error-of-measure) using a physical understanding of the process aided by data interpretation. Evaluation of the GP-evolved equations shows that they correctly identify the ecologically significant variables. Analysis of the final GP-evolved mathematical model indicates that, of the eight variables assumed to affect algal blooms, the most significant effects are due to chlorophyll, total inorganic nitrogen and dissolved oxygen for a 1-week prediction. For longer lead predictions (biweekly), secchi-disc depth and temperature appear to be significant variables, in addition to chlorophyll.

Immunolocalization of heme oxygenase-1 in periodontal diseases

CONTEXT

Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory condition of supporting tissues initiated by organisms in dental plaque. The reactive oxygen species and free radicals mediate connective tissue destruction in periodontitis. In order to counteract the free radical mediated tissue damage, numerous antioxidant mechanisms exist within the host. One such system is heme oxygenase enzymes. Heme oxygenase is the key enzyme involved in catabolism of heme. It cleaves the heme molecule to yield equimolar amounts of biliverdin, carbon monoxide, and iron. These end products act as important scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites. Increased heme oxygenase expression has been identified in inflammatory condition, such as pancreatitis, diabetes, nephritis, and atherosclerosis. Since chronic periodontitis is one such inflammatory condition, we assessed the expression of heme oxygenase-1, in smokers and periodontitis group using immunohistochemistry technique.

AIMS

The aim of this study is to compare the expression of heme oxygenase-1 in patients with healthy periodontium, periodontitis and smokers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gingival tissue samples were taken from 30 patients, who were divided into three groups healthy controls (n = 10), chronic periodontitis (n = 10), and smokers with chronic periodontitis (n = 10). All the samples were subjected to immunohistochemical staining using the antiheme oxygenase-1 antibody and were tested for efficiency by staining a positive control (prostate cancer tissue sections) and a negative control. The results were tabulated and analyzed.

RESULTS

Our results showed increased expression of heme oxygenase-1 in the gingival tissue samples taken from smokers compared with periodontitis and healthy tissue.

CONCLUSION

The results of our study is an increasing evidence of involvement of antioxidant enzymes like heme oxygenase-1 in periodontal inflammation and their implication for treatment of chronic periodontitis.

Association Study Between Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase (KMO) Gene and Parkinson's Disease Patients

The influence of various risk factors such as aging, intricate cellular molecular processes, and lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, caffeine intake, and occupational factors has received increased focus in relation to the risk and development of Parkinson's disease (PD). Limited research has been conducted on the assessment of lifestyle impact on kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) gene in PD. A total of 164 subjects, including 82 PD cases and 82 healthy individuals, were recruited based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The severity of PD and clinical assessment were evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scaling. Sanger sequencing was performed to analyse the KMO gene in the recruited subjects, and case-control studies were conducted. The UPDRS assessment revealed significant impairments in smell, tremors, walking, and posture instability in the late-onset PD cohorts. The HY scaling indicated a higher proportion of late-onset cohorts in stage 2. Moreover, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic groups showed significantly increased levels of 3-HK in late-onset PD. Gene analysis identified missense variants at position g.241593373 T > A (rs752312199) and intronic variants at positions g.241592623A > G (rs640718), g.241592800C > A (rs990388262), g.241592802A > C (rs1350160268), g.241592808 T > C (rs1478255936), and g.241592812G > T (rs948928931). The alterations in the KMO gene were found to influence the levels of kynurenic acid (KYNA) and 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK). Genomic analysis revealed a high prevalence of missense mutations in the late-onset PD groups, leading to a decline in 3-HK levels in patients. This leads to the reduction of the progression of disease in late-onset groups which shows that this mutation may lead to the protective effect on the PD subjects. This study suggests the use of KYNA and 3-HK as potential biomarkers in analysing the progression of disease. This study is limited by its small sample size. To overcome this limitation, a larger study involving in greater number of participants is needed to thoroughly investigate the KMO gene and KP metabolites, to enhance our understanding of Parkinson's disease progression, and to enhance diagnostic capabilities.

Relationship between gingival bleeding and anaerobic periodontal infection assessed by BANA (N-Benzoyl-DL-Arginine-β-Napthylamide) assay

Background:

Since periodontal diseases are primarily inflammatory in nature, the ability to detect inflammatory lesions in gingival tissue is essential for the diagnosis and monitoring of changes in gingival status. Gingival bleeding has been used as a reliable and objective clinical parameter not only for the evaluation of inflammatory conditions of periodontium, but also in the detection of its activity and progression. The gingival bleeding index (Loe) is based on the presence or absence of gingival bleeding, thereby provides a means of converting observed clinical data into statistical analysis. Periodontitis is widely regarded as a bacterial infection mainly mediated by subgingival plaque. N-benzoyl-DL-arginine β-naphthylamide (BANA) test is a simple chair side test used to detect, the specific enzymatic activity of microorganisms involved in periodontal disease.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to compare the clinical evaluation of the gingival index (GI) with the enzymatic BANA test.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 320 sites were selected from 20 patients with generalized chronic periodontitis, based on the presence are absence of gingival bleeding according to GI of Loe. Sub-gingival plaque samples were collected using a sterile curette and the BANA test was performed.

Results:

The distribution of GI and the intensity of the BANA test for the 320 sites analyzed during the initial examination of patients, with significance determined by the Chi-square test. The results were statistically significant at P ≤ 0.000.

Conclusion:

There was a direct relationship between positive BANA test results and GI scores, clearly demonstrating the validity of gingival bleeding as a significant diagnostic parameter.

Clinical Significance:

The validity of gingival bleeding as a clinical tool not only for the diagnosis of periodontal disease, but also in the detection of its activity and progression could be established by correlating the GI scores (which is based on the presence or absence of bleeding) with the primary etiologic factors (putative periodontal pathogens) assessed by BANA assay.

A field study on the evaluation of day-of-hatch and in grow-out application of live infectious bursal disease virus vaccine in broiler chickens

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute, highly contagious, economically important disease of young chickens caused by Avibirnavirus, the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). The causative virus is highly resilient in poultry environments and vaccination is the most effective measure for IBDV control. However, the susceptibility of highly attenuated IBDV vaccine strains to neutralization by maternally derived antibodies (MDA) and overwhelming virulence of partly attenuated strains have limited the application of conventional live IBDV vaccines in pre- and posthatch chicks. Nevertheless, preliminary data have raised questions about the validity of this prevailing dogma. India is an IBD endemic country and the disease causes sizeable economic losses in the sector. To evaluate the feasibility of application of live IBDV vaccine strain, the IBDV MB-1, to the maternally immunized day-of-hatch chicks in Indian production environment, 4 large-scale field trials have been conducted. The 4 trials have measured the relative safety, IBDV immunization parameters, and production performances of MB-1 vs. the established live and immune complex IBDV vaccines in a variety of commercial broiler systems. The overall health and production performances in all 4 trials have been better in the MB-1 groups. The results challenge the prevailing notion that live IBDV strains may be neutralized or break through maternal immunity and induce permanent damage to the young broiler chick's immune response. A delayed replication phenomenon following parenteral administration of the live IBDV vaccine strain has been observed, while the delayed replication mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study warrants further research on the molecular mechanism of live IBDV vaccine strain, MB-1, and its interaction with the chicken immune system.

System Reliability Estimation of Divert Attitude Control System of a Launch Vehicle using Bayesian Networks

Divert attitude and control system (DACS) is a one-shot system and provides attitude correction and translation of the Launch vehicle. DACS consists of many flight critical sub systems which are arranged in a series configuration. The traditional Reliability block diagram and Fault tree diagram methods are unsuitable for reliability modelling, when considering uncertainty among the components and system. Bayesian network is the natural choice to model dependencies among the components and system. DACS being one shot system, it is very expensive and time consuming to test more number of systems during the design and development. Hence the data is drawn from component level, subsystem level and expert opinion is used for reliability estimation. In this paper, Bayesian network modelling of DAC system was carried out for estimating the reliability using multi-level data. An algorithm is developed for computation of Conditional probabilities in Bayesian network. Posterior probability distribution of components is calculated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations and results are compared with Junction tree based exact inference algorithm. MATLAB code is developed to estimate the reliability of DAC system.

Green synthesis of chitosan nanoparticles using tea extract and its antimicrobial activity against economically important phytopathogens of rice

The aim of the present work is to biosynthesize Chitosan nanoparticles (CTNp) using tea (Camellia sinensis) extract, with potent antimicrobial properties towards phytopathogens of rice. Preliminary chemical analysis of the extract showed that they contain carbohydrate as major compound and uronic acid indicating the nature of acidic polysaccharide. The structure of the isolated polysaccharide was analyzed through FTIR and 1H NMR. The CTNp was prepared by the addition of isolated tea polysaccharides to chitosan solution. The structure and size of the CTNp was determined through FTIR and DLS analyses. The surface morphology and size of the CTNp was analysed by SEM and HRTEM. The crystalinity nature of the synthesized nanoparticle was identified by XRD analysis. The CTNp exhibited the antimicrobial properties against the most devastating pathogens of rice viz., Pyricularia grisea, Xanthomonas oryzae under in vitro condition. CTNp also suppressed the blast and blight disease of rice under the detached leaf assay. These results suggest that the biosynthesized CTNp can be used to control the most devastating pathogens of rice.

Hair cells and supporting cells share a common progenitor in the avian inner ear

Sensory organs of the vertebrate inner ear contain two major cell types: hair cells (HCs) and supporting cells (SCs). To study the lineage relationships between these two populations, replication-defective retroviral vectors encoding marker genes were delivered to the otic vesicle of the chicken embryo. The resulting labeled clones were analyzed in the hearing organ of the chicken, called the basilar papilla (BP), after cellular differentiation. BPs were allowed to develop for 2 weeks after delivery of the retrovirus, were removed, and were processed histochemically as whole mounts to identify clones of cells. Clusters of labeled cells were evident in the sensory epithelium, the nonsensory epithelium, and in adjacent tissues. Labeled cell types included HCs, two morphologically distinct types of SCs, homogene cells, border cells, hyaline cells, ganglion cells, and connective tissue cells. Each clone was sectioned and cell-type identification was performed on sensory clones expressing retrovirally transduced beta-galactosidase. Cell composition was determined for 41 sensory clones, most of which contained both HCs and SCs. Clones containing one HC and one SC were observed, suggesting that a common progenitor exists that can remain bipotential up to its final mitotic division. The possibility that these two cell types may also arise from a mitotic precursor during HC regeneration in the mature basilar papilla is consistent with their developmental history.

Heavy metals toxicity on epigenetic modifications in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive decline in cognitive ability and behavior which eventually disrupts daily activities. AD has no cure and the progression rate varies unlikely. Among various causative factors, heavy metals are reported to be a significant hazard in AD pathogenesis. Metal-induced neurodegeneration has been focused globally with thorough research to unravel the mechanistic insights in AD. Recently, heavy metals suggested to play an important role in epigenetic alterations which might provide evidential results on AD pathology. Epigenetic modifications are known to play towards novel therapeutic approaches in treating AD. Though many studies focus on epigenetics and heavy metal implications in AD, there is a lack of research on heavy metal influence on epigenetic toxicity in neurological disorders. The current review aims to elucidate the plausible role of cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and lithium (Li) metals on epigenetic factors and the increase in amyloid beta and tau phosphorylation in AD. Also, the review discusses the common methods of heavy metal detection to implicate in AD pathogenesis. Hence, from this review, we can extend the need for future research on identifying the mechanistic behavior of heavy metals on epigenetic toxicity and to develop diagnostic and therapeutic markers in AD.

Commonality of the gene programs induced by effectors of apoptosis in androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cells

Prostate tissue is composed of both androgen-dependent and -independent cells. To identify the gene program induced by effectors of apoptosis in both of these cell types, we performed differential hybridization on a complementary DNA library prepared from an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line, AT-3, exposed to ionomycin. Five distinct complementary DNAs representing ionomycin-inducible genes, designated prostate apoptosis response (par) -1, -2, -3, -4, and -5, were identified. Nucleotide sequencing identified par-1 as the rat homologue of a serum- and oxidative stress-inducible gene, 3CH134/erp/CL100; par-2 as the injury-inducible gene HB-EGF encoding a heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor; par-3 as the serum-inducible gene cyr-61; whereas par-4 and par-5 were novel, as judged by a GenBank search. par-1, -3, -4, and -5 were also induced in rat ventral prostate following castration, which causes androgen ablation, leading to apoptosis of androgen-dependent prostate cells. Pretreatment of rats with nifedipine prior to castration abrogated inducible expression of the par genes, indicating that their expression was downstream to Ca2+ elevation. Further characterization of these genes revealed that induction of par-4 is apoptosis specific: it is not induced by effectors of growth stimulation, oxidative stress and necrosis, or growth arrest in prostate cells. Together, par-1, -3, -4, and -5 represent an apoptosis response gene program common to both androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cells. Thus, cell death programs in prostate cells are comprised of genes specifically associated with apoptosis as well as those with multifunctional roles in growth regulation. Since elevation of intracellular Ca2+ is central to apoptosis in many cell types, we predict that par genes will be important components of diverse effector-driven apoptotic pathways.