An alternative retinoic acid-responsive Stra6 promoter regulated in response to retinol deficiency.

Cellular uptake of vitamin A (retinol) is essential for many biological functions. The Stra6 protein binds the serum retinol-binding protein, RBP4, and acts in conjunction with the enzyme lecithin:retinol acyltransferase to facilitate retinol uptake in some cell types. We show that in embryonic stem (ES) cells and in some tissues, the Stra6 gene encodes two distinct mRNAs transcribed from two different promoters.

Role of YY1 in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer and correlation with bioinformatic data sets of gene expression.

Current treatments of various cancers include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, immunotherapy, and combinations. However, there is a need to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for unresponsive patients. These may be achieved by the identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers which will help in the stratification of patients' initial responses to particular treatments and circumvent resistance, relapses, metastasis, and death.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of bicyclic iminosugar hybrids: conformational constraint as an effective tool for tailoring the selectivity of α-glucosidase inhibitors.

Principle guided design of glycan processing enzyme inhibitors involves embedding aromatic groups onto charge and shape mimics. Intramolecular azide-alkyne cycloaddition was used as a simple and versatile strategy for the synthesis of novel condensed bicyclic triazoles from carbohydrate derived Perlin aldehydes. These newly synthesised molecules were evaluated for glycosidase inhibition against 11 commercially available enzymes and were found to possess significant affinity (micromolar range) as well as high degree of selectivity for α-glucosidases.

The end stage of dialysis access: femoral graft or HeRO vascular access device.

Background: Maintaining and establishing vascular access in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is complicated when they are poor candidates for traditional upper extremity access. Our objective was to compare our experience with 2 alternative dialysis accesses, the femoral arteriovenous graft (fAVG) and the Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow (HeRO), in patients with limited remaining options.

Methods: A single institution, retrospective review of ESRD patients with fAVG or HeRO placed between May 2009 and February 2013 was performed.

Arteriovenous grafts have higher secondary patency in the short term compared with autologous fistulae.

Background: To estimate patency of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and grafts (AVGs) for dialysis access.

Methods: Records of all adult patients who had a dialysis access placed from January 2008 to June 2011 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: A total of 494 patients with 655 accesses (390 AVFs, 265 AVGs) were examined.

An undiagnosed case of acute myeloid leukemia.

Leukemia is a neoplastic disease characterized by an excessive proliferation of immature white blood cells and their precursors. Oral lesions may be the presenting feature of acute leukemia, which can be rapidly fatal if left untreated. Although many cases of gingival enlargement in patients with acute myeloid leukemia's have been reported in the literature, cases diagnosed by the oral manifestations in India are very few.

Deoxysugars as antituberculars and alpha-mannosidase inhibitors.

A promising modified sugar molecule was identified which was active against multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, suggesting involvement of a new target. The compound was demonstrated to be bactericidal, inhibited the growth of M. tuberculosis in mice, and targeted alpha-mannosidase as a competitive inhibitor with a Ki value of 353.

A linguistically informed autosomal STR survey of human populations residing in the greater Himalayan region.

The greater Himalayan region demarcates two of the most prominent linguistic phyla in Asia: Tibeto-Burman and Indo-European. Previous genetic surveys, mainly using Y-chromosome polymorphisms and/or mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms suggested a substantially reduced geneflow between populations belonging to these two phyla. These studies, however, have mainly focussed on populations residing far to the north and/or south of this mountain range, and have not been able to study geneflow patterns within the greater Himalayan region itself.

Principal considerations for the contemporary high-fidelity endovascular simulator design used in training and evaluation.

Background: The simulation and rehearsal of virtual endovascular procedures are anticipated to improve the outcomes of actual procedures. Contemporary, high-fidelity simulation is based on feedback systems that combine concepts of mechanical, electrical, computer, and control systems engineering to reproduce an interactive endovascular case. These sophisticated devices also include psychometric instruments for objective surgical skill assessment.

Pulse volume recording does not enhance segmental pressure readings for peripheral arterial disease stratification.

Background: Noninvasive vascular laboratory determinations for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) often combine pulse volume recordings (PVRs), segmental pressure readings (SPs), and Doppler waveform traces (DWs) into a single diagnostic report. Our objective was to assess the corresponding diagnostic values for each test when subjected to interpretation by 4 vascular specialists.

Methods: A total of 2226 non-invasive diagnostic reports were reviewed through our institutional database between January 2009 and December 2011.

Heparin bonding does not improve patency of polytetrafluoroethylene arteriovenous grafts.

Background: Heparin-bonded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts (hepPTFE) were developed to decrease rates of graft thrombosis. Our objective was to compare the patency of arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) for dialysis access with and without heparin bonding in a tertiary care setting.

Methods: Records of patients who had an AVG placed between January 2008 and June 2011 were retrospectively reviewed.

An unusual clinical presentation of gingival melanoacanthoma.

Gingival melanoacanthoma is a rare, benign pigmented lesion characterized clinically by sudden onset and rapid growth of a macular brown black lesion and histologically by acanthosis of superficial epithelium and proliferation of dendritic melanocytes. This article reports a previously undescribed case of pigmented unilateral diffuse gingival enlargement, which on histopathological examination proved to be melanoacanthoma. Intraoral examination revealed pigmented unilateral diffuse gingival enlargement in relation to second and third quadrants buccally, palatally/lingually.

Value of high-risk human papillomavirus 16 deoxyribonucleic acid testing with cytological entities in peri and postmenopausal women.

Background: Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by HPV. Some types of HPV, called high-risk (HR) types may cause cell changes that sometimes lead to cervical cancer. HPV screening has been proposed for symptomatic female population; however, Pap test is the main stay in low resource setting.

Lower extremity amputations: factors associated with mortality or contralateral amputation.

Background: Tissue loss or gangrene in the setting of lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) may result in amputation. Previous studies have demonstrated elevated mortality rates after major transtibial and transfemoral amputation. Also, amputation of 1 leg may be associated with subsequent major amputation of the contralateral leg.

In vivo assessment of endothelial function in human lower extremity arteries.

Objective: Endothelial function has been measured in preclinical studies in human brachial and coronary arteries but not in lower extremity arteries affected by atherosclerosis. We describe a novel, first-in-man evaluation of endothelial function of the superficial femoral arteries (SFAs) in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods: Enrolled were 25 patients with PAD requiring lower extremity angiography.

Identification and characterisation of small-molecule inhibitors of Rv3097c-encoded lipase (LipY) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that selectively inhibit growth of bacilli in hypoxia.

The mycobacterial Rv3097c-encoded lipase LipY is considered as a true lipase involved in the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol stored in lipid inclusion bodies for the survival of dormant mycobacteria. To date, orlistat is the only known LipY inhibitor. In view of the important emerging role of this enzyme, a search for small-molecule inhibitors of LipY was made, leading to the identification of some new compounds (8a-8d, 8f, 8h and 8i) with potent inhibitory activities against recombinant LipY, with no cytotoxicity [50% inhibitory concentration (CC(50)) ≥ 500 μg/mL].

Craniofacial fibrous dysplasia: Surgery and literature review.

Objective: To highlight the clinical and radiologic features and management of craniofacial fibrous dysplasia with review of literature.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of 6 patients who underwent surgical treatment in a tertiary healthcare centre was done using the parameters of patients' details, clinical features, radiological findings, management and postoperative review.

Results: Of the six patients, 3 females and 2 males were in the 2(nd) decade of life and 1 male in the 1(st) decade of life.

The use of dextran and carbon dioxide for optical coherence tomography in the superficial femoral artery.

The following case report describes using carbon dioxide (CO2) as contrast media for intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging in the superficial femoral artery. For initial OCT imaging, 20 mL of iodinated contrast was used during automated pullback. This was followed by 20 mL of hand-injected dextran 40 in normal saline, and finally hand-injected 50 mL of CO2.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of trans 6-methoxy-1,1-dimethyl-2-phenyl-3-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-4-yloxyalkylamine derivatives against drug susceptible, non-replicating M. tuberculosis H37Rv and clinical multidrug resistant strains.

Synthesis of a library of novel trans 6-methoxy-1,1-dimethyl-2-phenyl-3-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-4-yloxy alkyl amines and their antimycobacterial activity against drug sensitive and multidrug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been reported. All the new compounds in the series exhibited MIC between 1.56 and 6.

The lysine specific demethylase-1 (LSD1/KDM1A) regulates VEGF-A expression in prostate cancer.

Recurrent prostate cancer remains a major clinical challenge. The lysine specific demethylase-1 (LSD1/KDM1A), together with the JmjC domain-containing JMJD2A and JMJD2C proteins, have emerged as critical regulators of histone lysine methylation. The LSD1-JMJD2 complex functions as a transcriptional co-regulator of hormone activated androgen and estrogen receptors at specific gene promoters.