Proteomic Atlas of Atherosclerosis: The Contribution of Proteoglycans to Sex Differences, Plaque Phenotypes, and Outcomes.

Background: Using proteomics, we aimed to reveal molecular types of human atherosclerotic lesions and study their associations with histology, imaging, and cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods: Two hundred nineteen carotid endarterectomy samples were procured from 120 patients. A sequential protein extraction protocol was employed in conjunction with multiplexed, discovery proteomics.

Predefined Time Synchronization of Multi-Agent Systems: A Passivity Based Analysis.

This paper deals with the predefined-time synchronization for a class of nonlinear multi-agent systems. The notion of passivity is exploited to design the controller for predefined-time synchronization of a nonlinear multi-agent system, where the time of synchronization can be preassigned. Developed control can be used to synchronize large-scale, higher-order multi-agent systems as passivity is an important property in designing control for complex control systems, where the control inputs and outputs are considered in determining the stability of the system in contrast to other approaches, such as state-based Control We introduced the notion of predefined-time passivity and as an application of the exposed stability analysis, static and adaptive predefined-time control algorithms are designed to study the average consensus problem for nonlinear leaderless multiagent systems in predefined-time.

A short-term follow-up study on breastfeeding practices, growth parameters and immunization practices among babies born to COVID-19 positive mothers in a tertiary care hospital.

We aimed to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rate and routine follow-up practices including immunization. A total of 62 neonates born to COVID-19 positive mothers and an equal number of neonates born to COVID-19 negative mothers were prospectively evaluated for EBF rate and routine neonatal follow-up practices including delay (>7 days) in routine immunization at 3 months follow-up. We further tried to compare the results across two epochs (epoch 1, March-June 2020 and epoch 2, July-November 2020).

Serial measurements of protein and microRNA biomarkers to specify myocardial infarction subtypes.

Background: While cardiac-specific troponin (cTn) allows for rapid diagnosis of acute type 1 myocardial infarction (T1MI), its performance to differentiate acute myocardial injury (AI) or type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) is limited. The objective was to combine biomarkers to improve discrimination of different myocardial infarction (MI) aetiologies.

Methods: We determined levels of cardiac troponin T and I (cTnT, cTnI), cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C), NT-proBNP and ten miRNAs, known to be associated with cardiac pathology in a total of = 495 serial plasma samples at three time points (on admission, after 1 h and 3 h) from 57 NSTEMI (non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction), 18 AI, and 31 STEMI patients, as defined by fourth universal definition of MI (UDMI4) and 59 control individuals.

Emerging role of γδ T cells in protozoan infection and their potential clinical application.

γδ T cells are thymus derived heterogeneous and unconventional T- lymphocyte expressing TCR γ (V γ9) and TCRδ (Vδ2) chain and play an important role in connecting innate and adaptive armaments of immune response. These cells can recognize wide ranges of antigens even without involvement of major histocompatibility complex and exert their biological functions by cytotoxicity or activating various types of immune cells. In recent past, γδ T cells have emerged as an important player during protozoa infection and rapidly expand after exposure with them.

Extracellular Matrix in Heart Failure: Role of ADAMTS5 in Proteoglycan Remodeling.

Background: Remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a hallmark of heart failure (HF). Our previous analysis of the secretome of murine cardiac fibroblasts returned ADAMTS5 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5) as one of the most abundant proteases. ADAMTS5 cleaves chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans such as versican.

Clinico-epidemiological profile and outcomes of babies with neural tube defects in a tertiary care center in Northern India.

Introduction: Neural tube defects constitute a major source of disability among children. Proper management requires accurate diagnosis, an assessment of the severity of the lesion, a decision whether intervention is warranted, the nature of the intervention, and educating the family of the need for lifelong medical care. But to do so, reliable data regarding presentation and outcome is very crucial.

SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and proteomic trajectories inform prognostication in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care.

Prognostic characteristics inform risk stratification in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We obtained blood samples (n = 474) from hospitalized COVID-19 patients (n = 123), non-COVID-19 ICU sepsis patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 30). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA was detected in plasma or serum (RNAemia) of COVID-19 ICU patients when neutralizing antibody response was low.

Metabolic recovery after weight loss surgery is reflected in serum microRNAs.

Introduction: Bariatric surgery offers the most effective treatment for obesity, ameliorating or even reverting associated metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes. We sought to determine the effects of bariatric surgery on circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) that have been implicated in the metabolic cross talk between the liver and adipose tissue.

Research Design And Methods: We measured 30 miRNAs in 155 morbidly obese patients and 47 controls and defined associations between miRNAs and metabolic parameters.

The NK cell granule protein NKG7 regulates cytotoxic granule exocytosis and inflammation.

Immune-modulating therapies have revolutionized the treatment of chronic diseases, particularly cancer. However, their success is restricted and there is a need to identify new therapeutic targets. Here, we show that natural killer cell granule protein 7 (NKG7) is a regulator of lymphocyte granule exocytosis and downstream inflammation in a broad range of diseases.

Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis: A threat to elimination program.

Leishmaniasis remains a public health concern around the world that primarily affects poor folks of the developing world spanning across 98 countries with mortality of 0.2 million to 0.4 million annually.

Ibrutinib treatment inhibits breast cancer progression and metastasis by inducing conversion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells to dendritic cells.

Background: Ibrutinib is a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and interleukin-2-inducible kinase (ITK) inhibitor used for treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and other cancers. Although ibrutinib is known to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cell growth in vitro, its impact on the treatment and metastasis of breast cancer is unclear.

Methods: Using an orthotopic mouse breast cancer model, we show that ibrutinib inhibits the progression and metastasis of breast cancer.

A molecular signature for CD8 T cells from visceral leishmaniasis patients.

CD8 T-cell function is compromised in chronic diseases such as visceral leishmaniasis (VL). However, little is known about the changes in gene expression that cause CD8+ T-cell dysfunction during VL. We used targeted transcriptional profiling of peripheral blood CD8 T cells from VL patients pre- and post-anti-parasitic drug treatment, and compared them with the same cell population from healthy endemic controls to assess their activation, differentiation and functional status during disease.

Transcriptional blood signatures for active and amphotericin B treated visceral leishmaniasis in India.

Amphotericin B provides improved therapy for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani, with single dose liposomal-encapsulated Ambisome providing the best cure rates. The VL elimination program aims to reduce the incidence rate in the Indian subcontinent to <1/10,000 population/year. Ability to predict which asymptomatic individuals (e.

Host-directed therapies for parasitic diseases.

Parasitic infections are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Management strategies rely primarily on antiparasitic drugs that have side effects and risk of drug resistance. Therefore, novel strategies are needed for treatment of parasitic infections.

Exploiting knowledge on pharmacodynamics-pharmacokinetics for accelerated anti-leishmanial drug discovery/development.

: Being on the top list of neglected tropical diseases, leishmaniasis has been marked for elimination by 2020. In the light of small armamentarium of drugs and their associated drawbacks, the understanding of pharmacodynamics and/or pharmacokinetics becomes a priority to achieve and sustain disease elimination. : The authors have looked into pharmacological aspects of existing and emerging drugs for treatment of leishmaniasis.

Comparative Analysis of Circulating Noncoding RNAs Versus Protein Biomarkers in the Detection of Myocardial Injury.

Rationale: Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), are proposed novel biomarkers of myocardial injury. Their release kinetics have not been explored without confounding by heparin nor has their relationship to myocardial protein biomarkers.

Objective: To compare ncRNA types in heparinase-treated samples with established and emerging protein biomarkers for myocardial injury.

Determinants for progression from asymptomatic infection to symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis: A cohort study.

Background: Asymptomatic Leishmania donovani infections outnumber clinical presentations, however the predictors for development of active disease are not well known. We aimed to identify serological, immunological and genetic markers for progression from L. donovani infection to clinical Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL).

Interleukin 2 is an Upstream Regulator of CD4+ T Cells From Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients With Therapeutic Potential.

Control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani requires interferon-γ production by CD4+ T cells. In VL patients, antiparasitic CD4+ T-cell responses are ineffective for unknown reasons. In this study, we measured the expression of genes associated with various immune functions in these cells from VL patients and compared them to CD4+ T cells from the same patients after drug treatment and from endemic controls.

Abnormal B-Cell Subset and Blimp-1-Mediated Humoral Responses Associated With Visceral Leishmaniasis Pathogenesis.

B-cells have a spectrum of functions ranging from antibody production to antigen presentation and have additional vital roles in immune mechanisms. There is rudimentary knowledge about the role of B-cells in intracellular infections with contradictory findings. We explored the role of B-cell dysfunctions in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) pathogenesis in terms of the phenotypic and functional properties of B-cells during the course of disease.

HLA-DR Class II expression on myeloid and lymphoid cells in relation to HLA-DRB1 as a genetic risk factor for visceral leishmaniasis.

Genetic variation at HLA-DRB1 is a risk factor for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania donovani. The single nucleotide polymorphism rs9271252 upstream of the DRB1 gene provides a perfect tag for protective versus risk HLA-DRB1 four-digit alleles. In addition to the traditional role of the membrane-distal region of HLA class II molecules in antigen presentation and CD4 T-cell activation, the membrane-proximal region mediates 'non-traditional' multi-functional activation, differentiation, or death signals, including in DR-expressing T cells.

Hepcidin mediated iron homoeostasis as immune regulator in visceral leishmaniasis patients.

Aim: Iron is key ingredient for immunosurveillance and host-pathogen interaction. Intracellular pathogen steals the iron from the host, but how parasite orchestrates iron acquisition and affects immune responses remains controversial. We aimed to study the iron homoeostasis in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and its influence on immune machinery.