Effectiveness of physical activity promotion in blood pressure and blood sugar reduction: a community-based intervention study in rural south India.

Context: Physical activity of moderate intensity for 30 minutes a day, on most days substantially reduces the risk of many chronic diseases.

Aim: To assess the effect of regular physical activity on blood pressure and blood sugar levels in a rural Indian community

Settings And Design: This community-based study was carried out in Periakattupalayam and Rangareddipalayam in south India, with 485 subjects, aged 20 to 49 years.

Materials And Methods: THE STUDY WAS DONE IN FIVE PHASES: Awareness campaign, baseline assessment of participants, intervention phase (10 weeks), interim, and final assessment.

Increased microRNA-155 expression in the serum and peripheral monocytes in chronic HCV infection.

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), a single stranded RNA virus, affects millions of people worldwide and leads to chronic infection characterized by chronic inflammation in the liver and in peripheral immune cells. Chronic liver inflammation leads to progressive liver damage. MicroRNAs (miRNA) regulate inflammation (miR-155, -146a and -125b) as well as hepatocyte function (miR-122).

Induction of Bcl-3 by acute binge alcohol results in toll-like receptor 4/LPS tolerance.

Acute alcohol binge results in immunosuppression and impaired production of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α. TNF-α production is induced by LPS, a TLR4 ligand, and is tightly regulated at various levels of the signaling cascade, including the NF-κB transcription factor. Here, we hypothesized that acute alcohol induces TLR4/LPS tolerance via Bcl-3, a nuclear protein and member of the NF-κB family.

Plasma microRNA profiles distinguish lethal injury in acetaminophen toxicity: a research study.

Aim: To investigate plasma microRNA (miRNA) profiles indicative of hepatotoxicity in the setting of lethal acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity in mice.

Methods: Using plasma from APAP poisoned mice, either lethally (500 mg/kg) or sublethally (150 mg/kg) dosed, we screened commercially available murine microRNA libraries (SABiosciences, Qiagen Sciences, MD) to evaluate for unique miRNA profiles between these two dosing parameters.

Results: We distinguished numerous, unique plasma miRNAs both up- and downregulated in lethally compared to sublethally dosed mice.

Circulating microRNAs in exosomes indicate hepatocyte injury and inflammation in alcoholic, drug-induced, and inflammatory liver diseases.

Unlabelled: MicroRNAs are fine tuners of diverse biological responses and are expressed in various cell types of the liver. Here we hypothesized that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) may serve as biomarkers of liver damage and inflammation. We studied miRNA-122, which is abundant in hepatocytes, and miR-155, -146a, and -125b, which regulate inflammation in immune cells in mouse models of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), drug (acetaminophen, APAP)-induced liver injury (DILI), and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9+4 ligand-induced inflammatory cell-mediated liver damage.

Prosthetic rehabilitation of a child suffering from hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with complete anodontia.

A 7-year-old male, described in the case report, exhibited many of the manifestations of ectodermal dysplasia as well as behavioral problems. The treatment to improve his appearance and oral function included a removable prosthesis. The results were significant improvements in speech, masticatory function, and facial esthetics, contributing to the development of normal dietary habits, and the improved and more rapid social integration of the child.

MicroRNA Signature in Alcoholic Liver Disease.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major global health problem. Chronic alcohol use results in inflammation and fatty liver, and in some cases, it leads to fibrosis and cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Increased proinflammatory cytokines, particularly TNF alpha, play a central role in the pathogenesis of ALD.

MicroRNA silencing and the development of novel therapies for liver disease.

In recent years microRNAs have emerged as crucial small non-coding RNA molecules with diverse roles in various diseases including diseases of the liver. In this review, we highlight the latest advances in the field of microRNA biology and their potential as emerging therapeutic targets in liver disease.

Effect of Different Carriers on in vitro Permeation of Meloxicam through Rat Skin.

The ability of β-cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and urea to influence the percutaneous absorption of meloxicam through isolated rat skin was evaluated. Carrier complex were prepared by kneading method in 1:1 and 1:2 in molar ratios for β-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and in 1:1, 1:3 and 1:5 in weight ratios for polyvinyl pyrrolidone and urea. The complexes were characterized by IR, DSC and evaluated for solubility, dissolution and skin permeability.

Inhibition of TLR8- and TLR4-induced Type I IFN induction by alcohol is different from its effects on inflammatory cytokine production in monocytes.

Background: Prolonged alcohol consumption is a significant co-factor in the progression of chronic viral infections including hepatitis C and HIV, which are both single-stranded RNA viruses. Toll like receptor 8 (TLR8), a pattern recognition receptor expressed in monocytes, senses viral single stranded RNA as a danger signal and leads to the induction of Type I interferon (IFN) as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand, was shown to affect inflammatory cell activation after alcohol consumption and in HIV and HCV infections.

Mouse genomic variation and its effect on phenotypes and gene regulation.

We report genome sequences of 17 inbred strains of laboratory mice and identify almost ten times more variants than previously known. We use these genomes to explore the phylogenetic history of the laboratory mouse and to examine the functional consequences of allele-specific variation on transcript abundance, revealing that at least 12% of transcripts show a significant tissue-specific expression bias. By identifying candidate functional variants at 718 quantitative trait loci we show that the molecular nature of functional variants and their position relative to genes vary according to the effect size of the locus.

Anthropometric, body composition, and blood pressure measures among rural elderly adults of Asian Indian origin: the Santiniketan aging study.

The number of older adults is increasing in industrialized and in developing countries. The present community-based cross sectional work was undertaken to study the anthropometric, body composition, and blood pressure characteristics of rural-dwelling elderly adults of Asian Indian origin. A total of 300 individuals (Male = 157 and Female = 143) from the Bolpur-Sriniketan area of West Bengal, India, took part in the study.

Tetra-kis-(μ-3-meth-oxy-benzoato-κO:O)bis[acetonitrilecopper(II)].

The centrosymmetric binuclear Cu(II) title complex, [Cu(2)(C(8)H(7)O(3))(4)(CH(3)CN)(2)], has a paddle-wheel-type structure [Cu-Cu distance = 2.6433 (3) Å]. Each Cu(II) ion is coordin-ated by four O atoms from two 3-meth-oxy-benzoate ligands and one acetonitrile N atom in a square-pyramidal geometry.

Identification of EPAC (Exchange Protein Activated by cAMP) bioinformatically as a potential signalling biomarker in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and its molecular docking by a lead molecule.

The present work delineates the combinatorial approach of firstly, creation of a centralized data-set comprising signalling proteins identified on the basis of altered expression, such as over-expression or repression of a set of signalling protein(s) leading to the cause of the disease, which is based on published reports screened through Pubmed and secondly, in the in silico creation of novel lead (drug) molecules and docking of identified signalling biomarkers using such drugs to investigate possibility of their future application in the model systems eventually. EPAC (Exchange Protein Activated by cAMP) emerges as a signalling biomarker in cases studied presently. Brefeldin, the known inhibitor of EPAC, though the mechanism yet unexplored, has been the molecule used as the pharmacophore for creation of lead drug molecule.

Metastatic myxoid liposarcoma of lung and mediastinum diagnosed by fine needle aspiration.

Myxoid liposarcomas metastatic to lungs and mediastinum are infrequent lung neoplasms. The tumor has an aggressive course and needs to be recognized cytologically. A 60-year-old male smoker presented with gradually progressive left-sided chest pain, cough, and expectoration for the past one month.

Summary of FDA antibody-mediated rejection workshop.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held an open public workshop in June 2010 to discuss the current state of science related to antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in kidney transplantation. Desensitization, acute AMR and chronic AMR (CAMR) were considered in the context of clinical trial design. Participants discussed experiences with HLA antibody detection and quantitation and the utility of monitoring donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) to inform the management of patients with AMR.

Functional analysis of corn husk photosynthesis.

The husk surrounding the ear of corn/maize (Zea mays) has widely spaced veins with a number of interveinal mesophyll (M) cells and has been described as operating a partial C(3) photosynthetic pathway, in contrast to its leaves, which use the C(4) photosynthetic pathway. Here, we characterized photosynthesis in maize husk and leaf by measuring combined gas exchange and carbon isotope discrimination, the oxygen dependence of the CO(2) compensation point, and photosynthetic enzyme activity and localization together with anatomy. The CO(2) assimilation rate in the husk was less than that in the leaves and did not saturate at high CO(2), indicating CO(2) diffusion limitations.

Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein defect links impaired antiviral response and liver injury in steatohepatitis in mice.

Unlabelled: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a pathogenic feature of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH complicates hepatotropic viral disease. The mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is the adapter of helicase receptors involved in sensing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA).

Biodegradation of mono-chlorobenzene by using a trickle bed air biofilter (TBAB).

In the present study, performance of the trickle bed airbiofilter (TBAB) for treating mono-chlorobenzene (MCB) was evaluated for various influent volatile organic compound (VOC) loadings using coal and mixed consortium of activated sludge as the packing material. Microbial acclimation to MCB was achieved by exposing the system continuously for 31 d to an average inlet MCB concentration of 0.688 g m(-3) at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 188 s.

Kinetics studies of p-cresol biodegradation by using Pseudomonas putida in batch reactor and in continuous bioreactor packed with calcium alginate beads.

Present study deals with the biodegradation of p-cresol by using Pseudomonas putida in a batch reactor and a continuous bioreactor packed with calcium alginate beads. The maximum specific growth rate of 0.8121 h(-1) was obtained at 200 mg L(-1) concentration of p-cresol in batch reactor.

Up-regulation of microRNA-155 in macrophages contributes to increased tumor necrosis factor {alpha} (TNF{alpha}) production via increased mRNA half-life in alcoholic liver disease.

Activation of Kupffer cells (KCs) by gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Toll-Like Receptors 4 (TLR4)-LPS-mediated increase in TNFα production has a central role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. Micro-RNA (miR)-125b, miR-146a, and miR-155 can regulate inflammatory responses to LPS. Here we evaluated the involvement of miRs in alcohol-induced macrophage activation.

YhgC protects Bacillus anthracis from oxidative stress.

Bacillus anthracis can cause lethal inhalational anthrax and can be used as a bioweapon due to its ability to form spores and to survive under various environmental stress conditions. YhgC in bacilli are structural homologues of TRAP, a protein involved in stress response in staphylococci. To test the role of YhgC in B.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in iron-steel and ferrochrome industry workers.

Unlabelled: Metallurgical industry workers in developing countries are often exposed to high concentrations of dusts and fumes that affect pulmonary function. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to assess the prevalence and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the prevalence of symptoms, as well as, the link between work-place air pollution and COPD. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data about smoking and socioeconomic status, past history of pulmonary diseases, current respiratory symptoms, education, and other variables.

YhgC protects Bacillus anthracis from oxidative stress.

Bacillus anthracis can cause lethal inhalational anthrax and can be used as a bioweapon due to its ability to form spores and to survive under various environmental stress conditions. YhgC in bacilli are structural homologues of TRAP, a protein involved in stress response in staphylococci. To test the role of YhgC in B.