Hepatitis B Virus x Protein Increases Cellular OCT3/4 and MYC and Facilitates Cellular Reprogramming.

Hepatitis B virus x (HBx) is a multifunctional protein coded by the Hepatitis B virus that is involved in various cellular processes such as proliferation, cell survival/apoptosis, and histone methylation. HBx was reported to be associated with liver "cancer stem cells." The stemness inducing properties of HBx could also facilitate the generation of pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells.

Cloning of human ene in . required the removal of an intragenic Pribnow-Schaller Box before it's Insertion into genomic safe harbor AAVS1 site using CRISPR-Cas9.

Genomic safe harbors are sites in the genome which are safe for gene insertion such that the inserted gene will function properly, and the disruption of the genomic location doesn't cause any foreseeable risk to the host. The AAVS1 site is the genetic location which is disrupted upon integration of adeno associated virus (AAV) and is considered a 'safe-harbor' in human genome because about one-third of humans are infected with AAV and so far there is no apodictic evidence that AAV is pathogenic or disruption of AAVS1 causes any disease in man.  Therefore, we chose to target the AAVS1 site for the insertion of , a bile acid transporter which is defective in progressive familial intra hepatic cholestasis type-2 (PFIC-2), a lethal disease of children where cytotoxic bile salts accumulate inside hepatocytes killing them and eventually the patient.

Glibenclamide, ATP and metformin increases the expression of human bile salt export pump ABCB11.

Bile salt export pump (BSEP/ABCB11) is important in the maintenance of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids and drugs. Drugs such as rifampicin and glibenclamide inhibit BSEP. Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type-2, a lethal pediatric disease, some forms of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, and drug-induced cholestasis are associated with BSEP dysfunction.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of biofilm forming, antimicrobial resistant, pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from Indian dairy and meat products.

Escherichia coli are commensal gastrointestinal microflora of humans, but few strains may cause food-borne diseases. Present study aimed to identify antimicrobial resistant (AMR), biofilm-forming E. coli from Indian dairy and meat products.

Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning: The Future of Medicine and Medical Practice.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and access to "Big Data" together with the evolving techniques in biotechnology will change the medical practice a big way. Many diseases such as type II diabetes will no longer be considered as a single disease. Many familiar cancers such as cancer of liver or pancreas will have hundreds of subtypes whose management will be very different.

Cell therapy from bench to bedside: Hepatocytes from fibroblasts - the truth and myth of transdifferentiation.

Hepatocyte transplantation is an alternative to liver transplantation in certain disorders such as inherited liver diseases and liver failure. It is a relatively less complicated surgical procedure, and has the advantage that it can be repeated several times if unsuccessful. Another advantage is that hepatocytes can be isolated from partly damaged livers which are not suitable for liver transplantation.

Amelioration of Hyperbilirubinemia in Gunn Rats after Transplantation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hepatocytes.

Hepatocyte transplantation has the potential to cure inherited liver diseases, but its application is impeded by a scarcity of donor livers. Therefore, we explored whether transplantation of hepatocyte-like cells (iHeps) differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could ameliorate inherited liver diseases. iPSCs reprogrammed from human skin fibroblasts were differentiated to iHeps, which were transplanted into livers of uridinediphosphoglucuronate glucuronosyltransferase-1 (UGT1A1)-deficient Gunn rats, a model of Crigler-Najjar syndrome 1 (CN1), where elevated unconjugated bilirubin causes brain injury and death.

Biomarkers in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-the emperor has no clothes?

Fatty liver is present in over ten percentage of the world population and it is a growing public health problem. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not a single disease, but encompasses a spectrum of diseases of different etiologies. It is difficult to find highly specific and sensitive diagnostic biomarkers when a disease is very complex.

A highly efficient method for generation of therapeutic quality human pluripotent stem cells by using naive induced pluripotent stem cells nucleus for nuclear transfer.

Even after several years since the discovery of human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), we are still unable to make any significant therapeutic benefits out of them such as cell therapy or generation of organs for transplantation. Recent success in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) made it possible to generate diploid embryonic stem cells, which opens up the way to make high-quality pluripotent stem cells. However, the process is highly inefficient and hence expensive compared to the generation of iPSC.

Vitamin-C as anti-Helicobacter pylori agent: More prophylactic than curative- Critical review.

Potential of nonantibiotic therapies for treatment of Helicobacter pylori-related acid peptic disease remains underexplored. Several clinical studies have shown that higher prevalence of H. pylori infection is associated with low Vitamin C (Vit C) level in serum and gastric juice.

Future of liver transplantation: non-human primates for patient-specific organs from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Strategies to fill the huge gap in supply versus demand of human organs include bioartificial organs, growing humanized organs in animals, cell therapy, and implantable bioengineered constructs. Reproducing the complex relations between different cell types, generation of adequate vasculature, and immunological complications are road blocks in generation of bioengineered organs, while immunological complications limit the use of humanized organs produced in animals. Recent developments in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biology offer a possibility of generating human, patient-specific organs in non-human primates (NHP) using patient-derived iPSC and NHP-derived iPSC lacking the critical developmental genes for the organ of interest complementing a NHP tetraploid embryo.

Association of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with metabolic syndrome in Indian population.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common cause of cryptogenic cirrhosis is often associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) in the West. However, its association with MS in the Indian population is not well studied.

Aims: To evaluate the association NAFLD with MS using the modified ATP-III criteria.

A pilot study on the usefulness of body mass index and waist hip ratio as a predictive tool for gestational diabetes in Asian Indians.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common public health issue of pregnancy and women who have had GDM are at high risk for developing of diabetes mellitus Type-2. The aim of this study was to find the association between various clinical and biochemical parameters and GDM. One hundred and six consecutive patients who attended the out patient unit of department of gynecology, Kottayam Medical College, were enrolled in the study and followed up through the whole antenatal, intra-partum and post-partum periods to identify the obstetric outcome.

Adipose tissue transplantation may be a potential treatment for diabetes, atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Adipose tissue is critical in energy homeostasis. Adipose tissue 'buffers' the lipids and energy rich compounds which are pumped into the blood stream soon after meals. It senses, signals other organs like liver and brain about the energy reserves via adipokines.

The blind men 'see' the elephant-the many faces of fatty liver disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of diseases with excess fat in liver in the absence of a poorly defined limit of alcohol consumption. Most common variety, a universal public health problem, is associated with insulin resistance caused by a host of genetic and epigenetic defects modulated by life style and environmental factors. In fact the term NAFLD is loose to incorporate so many etiologies except alcoholism and few other etiologies, presenting as fat in liver.