Publications by authors named "Pitchai Balakumar"

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is found locally around blood vessels. It has the ability to release vasoactive chemicals, such as factors that relax and contract blood vessels. PVAT is now recognized as an endocrine organ with metabolic activity and as a "protagonist" for maintaining vascular homeostasis.

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Novel perspectives on the role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) offer a groundbreaking understanding of the system's role in health and illness. Our understanding of the role of the RAAS in several diseases, such as heart failure, hypertension, metabolic disorders, and chronic renal disease, has been broadened by recent studies. Specific variations in RAAS pathways can affect the course of disease and response to treatment, as shown by genetic and molecular research.

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Renal epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in which epithelial cells undergo biochemical changes and transform into mesenchymal-like cells, resulting in renal abnormalities, including fibrosis. EMT can cause diabetic nephropathy through triggering kidney fibrosis, inflammation, and functional impairment. The diverse molecular pathways that drive EMT-mediated renal fibrosis are not utterly known.

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The basic concepts of research are learned through systematic literature searches which form the basis of a research statement and research topic. Then the research question, hypothesis, aim, and objectives, as well as the experimental design, are developed. Given the context provided, the primary focus is on the importance of adequately training postgraduates and young research investigators in research methodology and project development.

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The past couple of decades in particular have seen a rapid increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a debilitating metabolic disorder characterised by insulin resistance. The insufficient efficacy of current management strategies for insulin resistance calls for additional therapeutic options. The preponderance of evidence suggests potential beneficial effects of curcumin on insulin resistance, while modern science provides a scientific basis for its potential applications against the disease.

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Background: Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound derived from rhizomes of Curcuma longa, the golden spice. Curcumin has drawn much attention in recent years of biomedical research owing to its wide variety of biologic and pharmacologic actions. It exerts antiproliferative, antifibrogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects, among various imperative pharmacologic actions.

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Among numerous choices in cardiovascular therapies used for the management of hypertension and heart failure, drugs affecting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) hold substantial therapeutic roles. Therapies aimed at modifying the RAAS and its overactivation are employed for the management of various insidious disorders. In the pharmacologic perspective, RAAS is one of the frequently manipulated systems for the management of hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and renal disease.

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Synergistic physiologic mechanisms involving the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), the sympathetic nervous system, and the arginine-vasopressin system play an integral role in blood pressure homeostasis. A subset of patients with sepsis experience septic shock with attendant circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities. Septic shock is associated with increased mortality because of an inadequacy to maintain mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) despite volume resuscitation and the use of vasopressors.

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The perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) refers to an ectopic local deposit of connective tissue that anatomically surrounds most of the blood vessels. While it was initially known only as a structural support for vasculature, the landmark findings of Soltis and Cassis (1991), first demonstrating that PVAT reduces the contractions of norepinephrine in the isolated rat aorta, brought the potential vascular role of PVAT into the limelight. This seminal work implied the potential ability of PVAT to influence vascular responsiveness.

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Though the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia-induced renal complications is not precisely known, hyperuricemia has been recognized as an independent risk factor for renal disease. While the clinical implication of hyperuricemia in renal disease has been a contemporary topic of debate, growing body of bench and clinical evidences certainly suggest a causative role of high uric acid in renal abnormalities by implicating diverse pathologic and molecular mechanisms. Urate crystals after having deposited in the kidney could cause hyperuricemia nephropathy leading to glomerular hypertrophy and tubulointerstitial fibrosis, while high serum uric acid might predict progressive renal damage and dysfunction.

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Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an orchestrated event where epithelial cells progressively undergo biochemical changes and transition into mesenchymal-like cells by gradually losing their epithelial characteristics. EMT plays a crucial pathologic role in renal abnormalities, especially renal fibrosis. A number of bench studies suggest the potential involvement of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in renal EMT process and associated renal abnormalities.

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The activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is a key pharmacological drug target for dyslipidemic management. Dyslipidemia is associated with abnormal serum lipid profiles viz. elevated total cholesterol, high triglyceride, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

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Background: Diabetes mellitus and concomitant dyslipidemia, being referred to as 'diabetic dyslipidemia', are the foremost detrimental factors documented to play a pivotal role in cardiovascular illness. Diabetic dyslipidemia is associated with insulin resistance, high plasma triglyceride levels, low HDL-cholesterol concentration and elevated small dense LDL-cholesterol particles. Maintaining an optimal glucose and lipid levels in patients afflicted with diabetic dyslipidemia could be a major task that might require a well-planned diet-management system and regular physical activity, or otherwise an intake of combined antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic medications.

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This study investigated the pretreatment and post-treatment effects of dipyridamole (20 mg/kg/day, p.o.) in gentamicin-induced acute nephrotoxicity in rats.

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Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have become important causes of mortality on a global scale. According to the report of World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs killed 38 million people (out of 56 million deaths that occurred worldwide) during 2012. Cardiovascular diseases accounted for most NCD deaths (17.

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Edaravone, a synthetic-free radical scavenger, has been reported to reduce ischemia-reperfusion-induced renal injury by improving tubular cell function, and lowering serum creatinine and renal vascular resistance. The present study investigated the effect of edaravone in diabetes mellitus-induced nephropathy in rats. A single administration of streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg, i.

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Fenofibrate and rosuvastatin at low doses might have experimental pleiotropic benefits. This study investigated the combined effect of low doses of fenofibrate and rosuvastatin in isoproterenol-induced experimental myocardial infarction. Rats administered isoproterenol (85 mg/kg/day, s.

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Oral health is an imperative part of overall human health. Oral disorders are often unreported, but are highly troublesome to human health in a long-standing situation. A strong association exists between cardiovascular drugs and oral adverse effects.

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The chronic diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The incidence of cardiovascular disease might be a foremost cause of morbidity and mortality in patients afflicted with DM. In fact, DM is associated with multi-factorial cardiovascular signalling alterations via significant modulation of expression pattern, activation or release of PI3K, PKB, eNOS, EDRF, NADPH oxidase, EDHF, CGRP, adenosine, iNOS, ROCK, PKC-β2, CaMKII, microRNA (miR)-126 and miR-130a, which could result in inadequate maintenance of cardiovascular physiology and subsequent development of cardiovascular pathology.

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Described since long as a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) regulate the gene expression of proteins involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. PPARs indeed regulate several physiologic processes, including lipid homeostasis, adipogenesis, inflammation, and wound healing. PPARs bind natural or synthetic PPAR ligands can function as cellular sensors to regulate the gene transcription.

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Low-doses of fenofibrate and dipyridamole have pleiotropic renoprotective actions in diabetic rats. This study investigated their combined effect relative to their individual treatments and lisinopril in rats with diabetic nephropathy. Streptozotocin (55mg/kg, i.

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