Association of elevated homocysteine levels and Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 1298 A > C polymorphism with Vitiligo susceptibility in Gujarat.

Background: Several studies have reported hyperhomocysteinemia in vitiligo patients, suggesting the potential role of elevated homocysteine levels in precipitating vitiligo.

Objectives: We aimed to estimate homocysteine and vitamin B levels, and to investigate the role of MTHFR 677 C > T and 1298 A > C polymorphisms in vitiligo susceptibility in Gujarat population.

Methods: Homocysteine and vitamin B levels were estimated in plasma of 55 vitiligo patients and 60 controls by Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA).

Facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles in a crosslinked polymeric system by in situ reduction method for catalytic reduction of 4-nitroaniline.

In this study, poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) microgels prepared by free radical precipitation polymerization were used as micro-reactors for the synthesis and stabilization of silver nanoparticles. UV-Visible spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize both pure and hybrid microgels. The catalytic reduction of 4-nitroaniline was carried out in the presence of hybrid microgels to test their catalytic activity, and the catalysis mechanism was explored by varying the concentrations of reacting species like 4-nitroaniline and NaBH, as well as the dose of the catalyst.

KRAS and BRAF mutations in circulating tumour DNA from locally advanced rectal cancer.

There are limited data on circulating, cell-free, tumour (ct)DNA analysis in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Digital droplet (dd)PCR was used to investigate KRAS/BRAF mutations in ctDNA from baseline blood samples of 97 LARC patients who were treated with CAPOX followed by chemoradiotherapy, surgery and adjuvant CAPOX ± cetuximab in a randomised phase II trial. KRAS mutation in G12D, G12V or G13D was detected in the ctDNA of 43% and 35% of patients with tumours that were mutant and wild-type for these hotspot mutations, respectively, according to standard PCR-based analyses on tissue.

Investigating the feasibility of tumour molecular profiling in gastrointestinal malignancies in routine clinical practice.

Background: Targeted capture sequencing can potentially facilitate precision medicine, but the feasibility of this approach in gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies is unknown.

Patients And Methods: The FOrMAT (Feasibility of a Molecular Characterisation Approach to Treatment) study was a feasibility study enrolling patients with advanced GI malignancies from February 2014 to November 2015. Targeted capture sequencing (mainly using archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded diagnostic/resection samples) was carried out to detect mutations, copy number variations and translocations in up to 46 genes which had prognostic/predictive significance or were targets in current/upcoming clinical trials.

Downregulation of SKP2 in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Acts Synergistically With TRAIL on Inducing Apoptosis via ROS.

Context And Objective: S-phase kinase protein 2 (SKP2) is an F-box protein with proteasomal properties and has been found to be overexpressed in a variety of cancers. However, its role in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has not been fully elucidated.

Experimental Design: SKP2 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray format on a cohort of >1000 PTC samples.

Nationwide Mortality Studies To Quantify Causes Of Death: Relevant Lessons From India's Million Death Study.

Progress toward the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals requires improved information on mortality and causes of death. However, causes of many of the fifty million annual deaths in low- and middle-income countries remain unknown, as most of the deaths occur at home without medical attention. In 2001 India began the Million Death Study in 1.

MIR21 Drives Resistance to Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibition in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background & Aims: Cholangiocarcinomas (CCA) are resistant to chemotherapy, so new therapeutic agents are needed. We performed a screen to identify small-molecule compounds that are active against CCAs. Levels of microRNA 21 (MIR21 or miRNA21) are increased in CCAs.

Capacitated vehicle-routing problem model for scheduled solid waste collection and route optimization using PSO algorithm.

Waste collection widely depends on the route optimization problem that involves a large amount of expenditure in terms of capital, labor, and variable operational costs. Thus, the more waste collection route is optimized, the more reduction in different costs and environmental effect will be. This study proposes a modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm in a capacitated vehicle-routing problem (CVRP) model to determine the best waste collection and route optimization solutions.

Balneotherapeutic effects of high mineral spring water on the atopic dermatitis-like inflammation in hairless mice via immunomodulation and redox balance.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing allergic inflammatory skin disease that currently affects millions of children and adults worldwide. Drugs used to treat these inflammatory diseases include anti-histamines, corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors but these drugs have their limitations such as adverse effects with their long-term usage. Thus, researcher's interest in several alternative and complementary therapies are continually growing and balneotherapy is one of these approaches.

Molecular profiling of colorectal pulmonary metastases and primary tumours: implications for targeted treatment.

This study aimed to molecularly characterise colorectal pulmonary metastases (PM) and investigate whether their molecular profiles were concordant with those of the primary tumour. Clinical data and archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples were retrospectively collected from patients who underwent ≥ 1 pulmonary metastasectomies for colorectal cancer between 1997-2012. Primary tumour and metastatic samples were analysed using a targeted capture sequencing panel of 46 cancer-associated genes.

Comparison between MRI and pathology in the assessment of tumour regression grade in rectal cancer.

Background: Limited data exist regarding the correlation between MRI tumour regression grade (mrTRG) and pathological TRG (pTRG) in rectal cancer.

Methods: mrTRG and pTRG were compared in rectal cancer patients from two phase II trials (EXPERT and EXPERT-C). The agreement between radiologist and pathologist was assessed with the weighted κ test while the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival outcomes.

Wound healing effect of Euphorbia hirta linn. (Euphorbiaceae) in alloxan induced diabetic rats.

Background: Euphorbia hirta linn., is a species of Euphorbiaceae family. They are known as asthma plant, barokhervi.

Functional imaging and circulating biomarkers of response to regorafenib in treatment-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients in a prospective phase II study.

Objective: Regorafenib demonstrated efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Lack of predictive biomarkers, potential toxicities and cost-effectiveness concerns highlight the unmet need for better patient selection.

Design: Patients with mutant mCRC with biopsiable metastases were enrolled in this phase II trial.

Prognostic significance of tumor length in patients receiving esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Aims: We investigated the prognostic value of tumor length measurements acquired both from pre-operative imaging and post-operative pathology in esophageal cancer.

Methods: Tumor lengths were examined retrospectively for 389 esophagectomy patients with respect to Endoscopy, EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasound), CT and PET-CT, and pathology. Correlations between the measurements on the different approaches were assessed, and associations between tumor length and survival were analyzed.

A case-control study on association of proteasome subunit beta 8 (PSMB8) and transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP1) polymorphisms and their transcript levels in vitiligo from Gujarat.

Background: Autoimmunity has been implicated in the destruction of melanocytes from vitiligo skin. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-II linked genes proteasome subunit beta 8 (PSMB8) and transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP1), involved in antigen processing and presentation have been reported to be associated with several autoimmune diseases including vitiligo.

Objectives: To explore PSMB8 rs2071464 and TAP1 rs1135216 single nucleotide polymorphisms and to estimate the expression of PSMB8 and TAP1 in patients with vitiligo and unaffected controls from Gujarat.

RANTES levels as a determinant of falciparum malaria severity or recovery.

The study explored the role of differential RANTES concentrations, its receptor CCR5 expression and resulting immunomodulation in the pathogenesis and/or recovery from falciparum malaria. The study population included cases of uncomplicated malaria (UC-M, N=128, enrolled on follow-up basis), severe malaria (SM, N=25), and healthy controls (N=112). Serum RANTES and TNF-α levels were evaluated by ELISA.

Unusual primary breast cancer - malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Sarcomas are a rare type of breast malignancies and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors of the breast are even rarer. There are no specific clinical and radiological features for the diagnosis of this tumor and histological features are also reported to be nonspecific. Therefore, immunohistochemistry is required for its diagnosis.

Facile Method to Reduce Surface Defects and Trap Densities in Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Owing to improvements in film morphology, crystallization process optimization, and compositional design, the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells has increased from 3.8 to 22.1% in a period of 5 years.

The catalase gene promoter and 5'-untranslated region variants lead to altered gene expression and enzyme activity in vitiligo.

Background: Oxidative stress is considered to be the initial event in the course of vitiligo. The enzyme catalase (CAT) is mainly involved in cellular defence against oxidizing agents through detoxifying H O .

Objectives: The aims were (i) to assess erythrocyte CAT enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels as well as CAT mRNA expression in skin and blood; (ii) to investigate CAT gene promoter rs7943316, rs1001179, 5'-untranslated region rs1049982, and exon (rs17886350, rs11032709, rs17880442, rs35677492) polymorphisms; and (iii) to perform genotype/haplotype-phenotype correlation analyses in patients with vitiligo and controls from Gujarat.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and gastric anti-ulcer activity of Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) leaves in experimental rats.

Background: The medicinal plants signify a massive basin of potential phytoconstituents that could be valuable as a substitute to allopathic drugs or considered as an analogue in drug development. Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) is generally used in traditional medicine to treat ulcer and inflammation.

Study on MICs of Tigecycline in Clinical Isolates of Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at a Tertiary Care Centre in North India.

Introduction: Members of family are the most common Gram-negative bacteria isolated from clinical samples. Those which have acquired resistance to all β-lactams antibiotics including the carbapenems are considered as Carbapenem Resistant (CRE). These CRE isolates are often resistant to most other classes of antimicrobials as well, making their treatment a great challenge.

Inhibition of proinflammatory mediators by coumaroyl lupendioic acid, a new lupane-type triterpene from Careya arborea, on inflammation-induced animal model.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Careya arborea Roxb. (Lecythidaceae) is a large tree found throughout India in deciduous forests and grasslands. C.

In vitro antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of Paeonia emodi (Wall.) rhizome methanol extract and its phenolic compounds rich fractions.

The present study aimed to quantify the total phenolic content in Paeonia emodi rhizome methanol extract and its fractions and then evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities of fractions rich in phenolic compounds. Maximum quantity of total phenolic content was observed in butanol (112.08±5.

Translating Developmental Origins: Improving the Health of Women and Their Children Using a Sustainable Approach to Behaviour Change.

Theories of the developmental origins of health and disease imply that optimising the growth and development of babies is an essential route to improving the health of populations. A key factor in the growth of babies is the nutritional status of their mothers. Since women from more disadvantaged backgrounds have poorer quality diets and the worst pregnancy outcomes, they need to be a particular focus.