Correlates of HIV and malaria co-infection in Southern India.

Background: Malaria and HIV co-infection adversely impact the outcome of both diseases and previous studies have mostly focused on falciparum malaria. Plasmodium vivax contributes to almost half of the malaria cases in India, but the disease burden of HIV and P. vivax co-infection is unclear.

Population genomics of the facultatively mutualistic bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti and S. medicae.

The symbiosis between rhizobial bacteria and legume plants has served as a model for investigating the genetics of nitrogen fixation and the evolution of facultative mutualism. We used deep sequence coverage (>100×) to characterize genomic diversity at the nucleotide level among 12 Sinorhizobium medicae and 32 S. meliloti strains.

Actinomycetes from solitary wasp mud nest and swallow bird mud nest: isolation and screening for their antibacterial activity.

The aim of this study was to isolate and screen actinomycetes from solitary wasp and swallow bird mud nests for antimicrobial activity. The actinomycetes were isolated from soil of nests of solitary wasp and swallow bird, and identified on the basis of morphological characteristics and molecular biological methods. A total of 109 actinomycetal isolates were obtained from 12 soil samples (6 from each habitat) using two media.

Myelopotentiating effect of curcumin in tumor-bearing host: role of bone marrow resident macrophages.

The present investigation was undertaken to study if curcumin, which is recognized for its potential as an antineoplastic and immunopotentiating agent, can also influence the process of myelopoiesis in a tumor-bearing host. Administration of curcumin to tumor-bearing host augmented count of bone marrow cell (BMC) accompanied by an up-regulated BMC survival and a declined induction of apoptosis. Curcumin administration modulated expression of cell survival regulatory molecules: Bcl2, p53, caspase-activated DNase (CAD) and p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) along with enhanced expression of genes of receptors for M-CSF and GM-CSF in BMC.

Genome sequencing and mapping reveal loss of heterozygosity as a mechanism for rapid adaptation in the vegetable pathogen Phytophthora capsici.

The oomycete vegetable pathogen Phytophthora capsici has shown remarkable adaptation to fungicides and new hosts. Like other members of this destructive genus, P. capsici has an explosive epidemiology, rapidly producing massive numbers of asexual spores on infected hosts.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus and co-existent sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers, men having sex with men and injectable drug abusers from eastern India.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted disease affecting both men and women and is responsible for different ano-genital cancers in either sex. Co-existing sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV have been considered as important co-factors for carcinogenesis induced by HPV. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of any HPV, HPV 16 and HPV 18 and also concomitant STIs among female sex workers (FSW), men having sex with men (MSM) and injectable drug users (IDU).

Effect of aspirin administration on reversal of tumor-induced suppression of myelopoiesis in T-cell lymphoma bearing host.

The present investigation studied the effect of aspirin administration in tumor-bearing hosts on bone marrow cellularity and myelopoiesis. Aspirin administration to mice bearing a transplantable T-cell lymphoma, designated as Dalton's lymphoma (DL), augmented proliferation of bone marrow cells (BMC). BMC of aspirin-administered tumor-bearing mice were found to be predominantly in the S phase of cell cycle releasing them from G0/G1 arrest.

Anticancer property of Bryophyllum pinnata (Lam.) Oken. leaf on human cervical cancer cells.

Background: Bryophyllum pinnata (B. pinnata) is a common medicinal plant used in traditional medicine of India and of other countries for curing various infections, bowel diseases, healing wounds and other ailments. However, its anticancer properties are poorly defined.

Genome-enabled insights into legume biology.

Legumes are the third-largest family of angiosperms, the second-most-important crop family, and a key source of biological nitrogen in agriculture. Recently, the genome sequences of Glycine max (soybean), Medicago truncatula, and Lotus japonicus were substantially completed. Comparisons among legume genomes reveal a key role for duplication, especially a whole-genome duplication event approximately 58 Mya that is shared by most agriculturally important legumes.

Sphingolipid metabolism cooperates with BAK and BAX to promote the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis.

Mitochondria are functionally and physically associated with heterotypic membranes, yet little is known about how these interactions impact mitochondrial outer-membrane permeabilization (MOMP) and apoptosis. We observed that dissociation of heterotypic membranes from mitochondria inhibited BAK/BAX-dependent cytochrome c (cyto c) release. Biochemical purification of neutral sphingomyelinases that correlated with MOMP sensitization suggested that sphingolipid metabolism coordinates BAK/BAX activation.

ErbB4 localization to cardiac myocyte nuclei, and its role in myocyte DNA damage response.

The intracellular domain of ErbB4 receptor tyrosine kinase is known to translocate to the nucleus of cells where it can regulate p53 transcriptional activity. The purpose of this study was to examine whether ErbB4 can localize to the nucleus of adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM), and regulate p53 in these cells. We demonstrate that ErbB4 does locate to the nucleus of cardiac myocytes as a full-length protein, although nuclear location occurs as a full-length protein that does not require Protein Kinase C or γ-secretase activity.

A comprehensive transcriptome assembly of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) using sanger and second-generation sequencing platforms.

A comprehensive transcriptome assembly for pigeonpea has been developed by analyzing 128.9 million short Illumina GA IIx single end reads, 2.19 million single end FLX/454 reads, and 18 353 Sanger expressed sequenced tags from more than 16 genotypes.

Screening of actinomycetes from earthworm castings for their antimicrobial activity and industrial enzymes.

Actinomycetes from earthworm castings were isolated and screened for their antimicrobial activity and industrial enzymes. A total of 48 isolates were obtained from 12 samples of earthworm castings. Highest numbers of isolates were recovered from forest site (58.

Highly efficient, selective, sensitive and stability indicating RP-HPLC-UV method for the quantitative determination of potential impurities and characterization of four novel impurities in eslicarbazepine acetate active pharmaceutical ingredient by LC/ESI-IT/MS/MS.

A novel, sensitive, selective and stability indicating LC-UV method was developed for the determination of potential impurities of eslicarbazepine acetate. High performance liquid chromatographic investigation of eslicarbazepine acetate laboratory sample revealed the presence of several impurities. Three impurities were characterized rapidly and four impurities were found to be unknown.

Gabapentin: a novel drug as add-on therapy in cases of refractory overactive bladder in children.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of gabapentin as an add-on therapy in children presenting with overactive bladder (OAB) not responding to conventional anticholinergics.

Materials And Methods: Children with refractory OAB were included prospectively from March 2009 to February 2010. The inclusion criterion was persistence of symptoms while on conventional anticholinergics for 6 months.

Effect of plumbagin free alcohol extract of Plumbago zeylanica Linn. root on reproductive system of female Wistar rats.

Objective: To assess the effect of plumbagin-free alcohol extract (PFAE) of Plumbago zeylanica Linn. (Plumbaginaceae) (P. zeylanica) root, on female reproductive system and fertility of adult female wistar rats.

Quantification of potential impurities by a stability indicating UV-HPLC method in niacinamide active pharmaceutical ingredient.

A sensitive, stability indicating reverse phase UV-HPLC method has been developed for the quantitative determination of potential impurities of niacinamide active pharmaceutical ingredient. Efficient chromatographic separation was achieved on C18 stationary phase in isocratic mode using simple mobile phase. Forced degradation study confirmed that the newly developed method was specific and selective to the degradation products.

Gender-specific antitumor action of aspirin in a murine model of a T-cell lymphoma bearing host.

Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory drug demonstrated to possess a tremendous anticancer potential. As progression of some tumors is influenced by sex hormones, we investigated if the antineoplastic action of aspirin shows gender dependence. Using a murine model of T-cell lymphoma, the present investigation was undertaken to study if the antitumor actions of aspirin against lymphoma cells display gender dimorphism.

Draft genome sequence of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), an orphan legume crop of resource-poor farmers.

Pigeonpea is an important legume food crop grown primarily by smallholder farmers in many semi-arid tropical regions of the world. We used the Illumina next-generation sequencing platform to generate 237.2 Gb of sequence, which along with Sanger-based bacterial artificial chromosome end sequences and a genetic map, we assembled into scaffolds representing 72.

A stability indicating simultaneous dual wavelength UV-HPLC method for the determination of potential impurities in fampridine active pharmaceutical ingredient.

A novel, sensitive, stability indicating simultaneous dual wavelength reverse phase UV-HPLC method has been developed for the quantitative determination of potential impurities of fampridine active pharmaceutical ingredient. Efficient chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 stationary phase in gradient mode and quantitation by ultraviolet dual wavelength detection. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines with respect to specificity, precision, linearity and accuracy.

Whole-genome nucleotide diversity, recombination, and linkage disequilibrium in the model legume Medicago truncatula.

Medicago truncatula is a model for investigating legume genetics, including the genetics and evolution of legume-rhizobia symbiosis. We used whole-genome sequence data to identify and characterize sequence polymorphisms and linkage disequilibrium (LD) in a diverse collection of 26 M. truncatula accessions.

Aberrant promoter methylation and loss of suppressor of cytokine signalling-1 gene expression in the development of uterine cervical carcinogenesis.

Background: Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer related deaths in women worldwide caused due to infection of high-risk human papillomaviruses. As JAK/STAT signalling pathway has been shown to play an important role during carcinogenesis, we studied the role of silencing of Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling-1 (SOCS-1) gene, a negative regulator of JAK/STAT pathway in cervical cancer.

Methods: The expression pattern of SOCS-1 mRNA and protein was analyzed in different stages of cervical tumor biopsies while normal cervical tissues served as controls.

Clinical variables identify seronegative HCV co-infection in HIV-infected individuals.

Background: A substantial number of people living with HIV (PLWH) are co-infected with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) but have a negative screening HCV antibody test (seronegative HCV infection, or SN-HCV).

Objective: To identify a concise set of clinical variables that could be used to improve case finding for SN-HCV co-infection among PLWH.

Study Design: Two hundred HIV-infected participants of the CHARTER study were selected based on 7 clinical variables associated with HCV infection but were HCV seronegative.